The Broken Chairs II
by Deadborder
Summary: A new season, new opponents and new opportunities. The Broken Chairs are back, and this time they aim to actually win. Yeah, right.
1. Chapter 1

_Dear Tasch, _Siske Stroemer wrote on her computer as she sat back in her seat on the private jet. _Its good to hear from you again, even if you do remind me of how slack I've been with replying to your e-mails._

She smiled to herself as she wrote. Siske looked so much like her younger sister that they were occasionally mistaken for twins; the same height and build, they had very similar faces, and the same eye and hair colours. Siske's features were a little sharper then her sister's, however, and she wore her hair at shoulder length, shorter then Tasch's.

_I'm glad to hear that your whole team's back together for the new season, _she continued. _And I can't wait to hear how things turn out. I'll admit now that Zoid battling has never been my thing; you certainly have all the talent in the family in that department. I couldn't begin to do some of the crazy stuff you seem to pull of every day._

_Sadly, it seems like my work is going to keep me away from you again. The next six months are looking to be very big to us with a lot of big developments going on all over the world. So yes, it looks like I'll again miss out on seeing you in action. Hopefully I'll be lucky and have a chance to pop in and say 'hi' for about five minutes. Then, of course, I'll have to run off on another flight to who-knows-where before I know it._

_Trust me, Tasch. This is another case where I definitely envy what you do for a living._

_Please say "hello" to the team for me, as well as tell Mum and Dad that I'm fine. I feel bad about not seeing you or them for so long._

_And, unfortunately, I have to go. I'll try and write more often, okay?_

_Your big Sis._

She finished up the message and sent it, before shutting down and stowing her laptop computer. Checking out the window, she could see that it was inky black outside with thick cloud cover. _Perfect._

"Ms Stroemer? It's time." A voice called out form the other end of the cabin. She stood, walking over to the far end of the cabin where a single flight attendant was waiting. Her attire could not have clashed more obviously with his neat suit, being clad in a black, form-fitting bodysuit. Pulling up the hood, she took a harness, parachute and breather mask from the overhead luggage locker.

"Ready." She began.

He nodded, then opened the door to the rear of the cabin. Stepping in, she entered the small, sealed vestibule area at the back of the plane. Checking over her gear one last time, she shut the inner door behind her, then keyed in the release code for the specially modified external access hatch. Counting down ten seconds, she stood back as the door swung open, the air around her whipping and howling.

Smiling inside, the mask, she leaped out of the plane, plunging into the inky depths of the overcast night.

oOoOo

**Pointy Muses Fic II**

Chapter One - Back in the Saddle

By Rick R.

oOoOo

Traffic in the city was locked solid, both the conventional and the unconventional. The City's streets were packed with vehicles as a flood of tourists, sightseers, visitors and sports fans poured in, all here for a single event. That event was also the course of its unconventional congestion, as the roadways dedicated to Zoid Traffic were all packed solid with various mechanical animals heading into the city. Both new competitors and those returning after previous seasons packed the roads as they headed into the city.

For those who participated in or followed Zoid battles, one of the biggest events of the year was closing in, the reason for this mass migration. It was a week out from the start of the next season of Zoid battles, and everyone wanted to be there.

Even the skies over the city were packed. Massive Transport ships delivered Zoids and supplies, while numerous flying Zoids belonging to competitors travelled towards the city proper and their team facilities within. From tiny Blitz Hornet utility Zoids to massive Salamanders, the skies were a riot of exotic forms moving with an almost hive-mind like degree of orderly precision.

Tasch Stroemer's Black Redler had joined the airborne lanes of traffic well outside the city; following the standard flight path in, she'd been redirected into the flow of traffic above the crowded streets. She didn't mind the wait; she knew how important it was to keep the airspace over the city well organised, both form the perspective of safety and security.

A beep from her console indicated an incoming communication, the display indicating that it was coming form the city's air traffic control. "Ayep?" She began as she answered it.

"This is PKB Air Traffic Control." The voice at the other end spoke up. "You are cleared to leave standard lanes and begin approach for landing."

"Thankyou." She nodded. "And y'all have a day, okay?"

"Uh, sure."

Nodding, she disengaged the Redler's Autopilot, peeling away form the rest of the lane. Due to its design, the Redler didn't need much space to take off or land in; its VTOL capabilities (The best of any airborne Zoid) meant it needed just enough space for its body. The black Zoid decreased altitude, heading out over the city's outer suburbs while staying out of the air traffic lanes, before stopping over an old industrial district. Then, the Zoid slowly descended, landing outside a single old factory. Its main door was open, so the Zoid simply walked in.

Inside she could see three other machines gathered around; a Gunsniper, a Liger Zero and, towering over them, the hulking form of an Iron Kong. _An' its all just as I remember it, _she thought as she opened her Zoid's cockpit and clambered out. The other Zoids didn't seem to have changed at all since she had last seen them over five months ago.

She clambered out of the Zoid, grabbing her backpack as she went. Hefting it over her shoulders, she walked up the stairs into the converted living room, then stepped inside. Looking around, she could see that the place was a mess, with bags strewn all over it, some still closed and some half-unpacked already. Otherwise, it looked almost the same as she'd left it at the end of last season. However, more important then that were the three people in the room already. Stephen Chesterton, Neil Notbob and Rose O'Bannon, her three team mates and now, in all likelihood, her closest friends.

"Heya all." She began, waving as she stepped into the room.

"Tasch!" Rose called out, skipping over the mess in the middle of the room to reach her. Grabbing Tash, she embraced her in a strong hug for a moment before letting go. "It's so good to see you."

Tasch nodded to Rose. The taller woman looked near identical to how she'd last seen her, only now she was sporting a tan. It made for a startling contrast to Tasch's pale skin, a result of both genetics and climate. "Yeah, it's good to see ya too."

"Our secret weapon has returned." Neil quipped as he smiled at her. "Good to see you back."

"I ain't yer secret weapon." She replied. "Because that would mean that nobody knows about me. Except everyone does know about me 'cause of all the matches I was in."

"Well I meant more of the way you tend to do crazy stuff mid battle..." Neil offered. "But hell, its good to have ya here."

"Thanks." She smiled. "An' I'm glad yer here as well."

"So that's all of us." Stephen finally spoke up, a little more understated then his two team mates. "Great to see that you're well, Tasch."

"Yeah." She nodded. "An' you too." She finished, then dropped her pack on the pile. "So how was things over the break?"

"Nothing too exciting." Neil commented. "Spent time with my family, mainly. Mum worried over me and decided that I wasn't eating enough-"

"Well, I don't know, you get plenty of potato chips." Rose interjected.

"Yeah, yeah." he shook his head. "And that I needed to settle down and get a proper job because Zoid fighting's so dangerous and her little baby boy might get hurt and all that sort of stuff." He nodded. "So that means she loves me. And it was a great time, actually. I won't show you the photos as, well, they're as boring as Zabatrcrap, and besides, I'm not that mean."

"Sounds wonderful" Rose rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, well..." Neil shrugged. "I know it sounds a bit boring, but I like it. I'd been away from home for so long that it was good to catch up with people, you know. And having some quiet do-nothing time was kind of neat after spending six months of being chased by guys out to kill me."

Rose nodded, then smiled. "Well, yeah... I had a pretty good time, actually." She started without being asked. "I took a holiday and spent a lot of time on the beach, as you can tell."

"Mmm..." Neil began, nodding then leaning towards Rose. "So should I ask how much of you got a tan?"

"Neil!"

"Sorry." He grinned. "Too good to resist."

"Anyway," She continued, nonplussed, "the big news is that my mum has been pressing some of her contacts. She figures that she could get me a deal to do some swimwear endorsement stuff. It'd be a big boost to my reputation and profile, and also bring in some extra cash while letting me show off how hot I am."

"And modest." Neil muttered.

"Well congratulations." Stephen spoke up. "I'm glad to hear, Rose. Sounds just like what you wanted."

"Thanks." She nodded. "So yeah... I caught up with my family as well, and they're all doing good. Dad and Vi were really proud of how well I'd done this season and couldn't wait to see how I did this year."

"An' how about Jill?" Tasch asked. "How's she doin'?"

"Ah... I must admit, I haven't seen her." She began. "We don't often keep in touch; she doesn't usually associate with the rest of the family because of her, uh, past. And besides she's just a bit..." Rose shrugged. "Weird, you know?"

"She seemed like a nice person to me." Tasch commented.

"Case proven." Rose finished. "So how was your holiday, Stephen?"

"Yeah, it was okay." He muttered.

"Just... okay." She pouted. "Nothing beyond that?"

"No." He replied.

"Well... sure. That's fantastic. Great to hear about your wonderful holiday then." She finished, then shrugged.

"Well what do you want?" He asked. "It wasn't that exciting or interesting, really. I just took some time off, that's all."

"Nothin' wring with that." Tasch finished. "In fact, it sounds like it'd be pretty nice, really. Its kinda like what I did for my holiday; I went back home an;' saw my family and took a few walkin' trips around the area. Got some nice pics of the Maze of Mercy and the Chaoscape as well that I'll have ta show y'all later. Jus' a pity that my sis couldn't make it like she said she would, but we're kinda used to that."

"You have a sister?" Rose asked.

"Yeah, Siske, my big sister." She nodded. "But she's got a big important job an' travels a lot, so I almost never see her."

"Pity that." Neil noted. "Its a pain to never get to see relatives. Well, except if you're me, in which case its a blessing." He smirked. "So how was the weather there?"

"It was pretty nice... all dark and overcast most of the time, with a few neat storms over the Chaoscape. Made for some great pics too."

"Only you would think that was a good holiday, Tasch." Rose finished.

oOoOo

Ron McGonnagle looked over the list of teams for the first round of this years competition. To say that it was daunting was an understatement; by anyone's estimate, this year would feature the biggest number of Zoids teams ever entered. More interesting was the fact that many of the new teams were made up of complete amateurs who had never competed professionally before.

He knew exactly why that was the case, however. Last year, an all-amateur team had entered the competitions and made it all the way to the semi-finals. Even then, they hadn't been defeated but rather had been forced to drop out due to outside interference. There were many who speculated that, had they not dropped out, they could have made it into the finals - or even been the champions.

The ZBC's management had loved them. They were young and amusingly offbeat, and showed a certain flair and individual streak that made marketers go wild. The fact that they had managed to get so far, further then any rookie team had ever managed, had attracted a lot of attention, seeing record audiences tuning in and attending in person just to see how far this team could go. And the fact that they'd achieved all this while being the targets of an illegal battle organisation carrying a grudge and determined to force them into unsanctioned fights had only served to make them seem that much more determined and capable.

The audience had loved them. So much so that the period between seasons had seen a rush of new pilots registering with the ZBC, determined to emulate the success of their newfound heroes. To his mind, Ron thought that they were being morons. It wasn't that he knew the reality of the situation that he figured this, however. He and the rest of the ZBC management knew full well what the odds of another team being able to pull off their success were like.

The problem was simply that he hated that one team.

In their one year in competition, they had made his life incredibly difficult. They'd nearly cost him his job and, more importantly, his freedom. He'd been working as an agent for the illegal group who had been pursuing them, feeding that organisation information on the ZBC's activities and, specifically, the one team that had been causing them so much grief. After the organisation had been shut down, he'd managed to survive the subsequent witch-hunts for informers and agents.

Of course, what really worried him was how he had survived. One of the agents of that organisation had guaranteed that there would be no trail back to him. Of course, that guarantee had come with a price - that Ron kept working for them. Either way, it meant that he lost.

_And it's all because of them. _He poked at a name on the screen. _The Broken Chairs. How I hate you all._

He went over the running order of the first day of competition. The Chairs had been put on the list for the first day as a way to draw the crowds in. Attempts to provide a sensible match for them had proven to be difficult to say the least; measuring the team's capabilities and expected performance seemed to be impossible. They had a reputation for defeating opponents that were theoretically their superiors, often through a mixture of blind luck and doing the completely unexpected.

_Now if I was in charge... _he ran his finger down the list. _I'd pick something a little more drastic. _He settled on one name, the Iron Giants. Winners for three years in a row, they probably would have been the Chairs' opponents had the team not dropped out. The Giants had a well-deserved reputation; not only were their pilots skilled professionals, but their Zoids were some of the biggest and most powerful in the competition. _And fluke victories or not, any battle between the two teams would have been crushingly one-sided._

It wasn't that he really liked the Iron Giants. He didn't. He simply didn't like Zoid pilots at all. It was an irony, considering where he worked, but he had his reasons. He'd joined the ZBC because at the time it was one of the biggest up-and-coming names, a place where someone could go places and earn really big money. He had; he'd shot up in their hierarchy while bringing home huge pay packets. At first it had seemed good.

"How's the ordering look?" a voice interrupted his thoughts. He spun around on his chair to see a woman entering the office. He knew her well; Elisa Clayboourne, his immediate superior in the ZBC, and the source of most of the problems he had with the industry.

Elisa had joined the ZBC's staff well after he had. While he had come in with a fistful of degrees and qualifications, she had none. Yet she'd been promoted past him, despite being younger, less qualified and certainly less experienced. The reason why, of course was that she was a former Zoid pilot. They'd promoted her above him simply because so many of the managerial staff in the ZBC were _also_ former Zoid pilots, and were determined to look out for their own. He knew it.

"Well, it's mostly good." He commented. "Though I'm not too sure about the placement of some of the teams."

"How so?"

"Well, how about the Broken Chairs?" He began. "They're still a new team, last year's performance not withstanding. Why not put them up against another new team like, say, the Wild Hunters?" From what he'd seen, three of its four members were completely new to the competition. The fourth was a veteran of several years in single competition but never a member of a team.

"The matchup was made on the basis of their skills, not their experience." She explained. "The Winter Wolves have a bit more experience and, as such, should provide a better match then the Wild Hunt would."

He couldn't help but notice her emphasizing the correction of the team's name. _You just keep putting me down because I've never been a member of your little club. I'll show you. _"Of course. It was just a suggestion."

"Understandable. We've been so inundated with new teams that it's been hard to find places for them all. Mainly we've just ended up putting new teams on against each other just to give everyone in the run order a chance." She shrugged. "Still, ita a promising line-up."

"I just thought it would make for a better match," He replied, rather defensively. "What with that guy in the Wild Hunt having a Liger Zero X. That's balance the Broken Chairs' Zero and make for an interesting confrontation."

She raised an eyebrow. "It's a Zero EM." She stated. "Zero X is the CAS unit. Zero EM is the straight red Imperial model."

"Uh, yeah." He muttered. "Still-"

"The Winter Wolves have some high-performance machines of their own, Ron. They'll provide an interesting match." She stated, then dumped a folder on his desk. "Anyway, the main reason why I came here is that I have an important meeting with the network and need this finished up."

"Right." He continued. "I'll get on it right away."

"Thanks!" She beamed. "Later." Then turning, she strode out of the office.

Ron watched her go, glaring at her as he did. _Stupid bloody Zoid pilots. Think they can walk all over us because of who they are or what they do. _He knew that she hadn't piloted in competition for years, but the point remained. She was only able to boss him around because of what she had been and how she had gotten into the organisation.

His thoughts were interrupted by his mobile ringing. Irritated, he picked it up and checked the number, only to find it was one he didn't recognise. Sighing, he answered it. "McGonnagle speaking." He began in a gruff tone.

"Hello Ron." A soft, seductive female voice replied. "It's good to hear from you again after so long."

"Uh..." He paused, then swallowed loudly. "What... what do you want?"

"Oh, not much." The voice coyly replied. "But I'd really like one little thing from you."

"What?"

"I'd like..." it paused. "Well, I'd like this year's complete ZBC roster, actually. Just the copyeditors, but with their files."

"That's..." he swallowed again. "That's a big ask."

"I'm sure you can do it, Ron." She continued. "Because if you don't, I'd be very disappointed in you. And that would not be good for you."

He knew exactly what she meant by that. "Right." He stammered. "I'll get you that information."

"Very good." She finished. "I'll send you an e-mail address, and you are to reply to it with the information I requested. Thank you, Ron." She hung up before he could finish.

He quickly turned to his computer and began opening up the files she'd asked for. He didn't even think about complaining. Even though she hadn't said anything, he knew exactly what would happen if he did.

oOoOo

It had taken Neil only a few minutes to unpack his bags and get settled back into his room. Truth being told, he didn't have much on him; he preferred to travel light, and liked to get as much wear as possible out of something. That and the simple fact that Gunsnipers didn't have much room for luggage - or pilots. He'd often wondered if one of the reasons why there were so many female Gunsniper pilots was simply because they could fit in the small-sized Zoid better then a man could.

A ringing noise caught is attention, coming form under a pile of empty bags. Fossicking through them, he found his mobile phone, beeping like crazy to indicate a call. Picking it up, he answered it quickly. "Yellow?" he began.

"Hey Neil!" The voice on the other end beamed. He instantly recognised it as belonging to Nadia Sverdlova, a (very cute) pilot he'd met and hung around with the previous year. She was friendly and witty, and had a lot in common with Neil, which was a surprise. She also piloted an Elephander for the Iron Giants, which gave him ample reason to stay on her good side. "How's it going?"

"Good, um, good." He was a little flustered and caught off guard. "Just back in town. You?"

"Jeroen had us back in base a month ago, and we've been prepping like crazy. But that's just him." She replied. "But I'm glad you're back in town, actually."

"Oh really? Miss me that much?"

"Yeah, right." She snorted with amusement. "But I had hoped that you were around."

"Going to get the game back together?" he asked, hopefully.

"Amongst other things but..." She paused. "Because we're a big team and Jeroen knows people, I've managed to get an advance copy of this year's teams roster. It's got all the entries and the breakdown of who's in which team and piloting what. Barring last-minute surprises, it's as good as it gets."

"Sounds good." He began.

"It should be. We've been training against it for the last week." She replied. "J figured that if we knew what we were up against, we would be better prepared and do better on the field."

"And here was me thinking that it was your use of honking big Zoids and overkill firepower that did it." He smirked.

"Har har. Maybe I should test that theory on you." She replied.

"I'll be good." He hasty replied, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Aaaanyway, I figured that you'd like a copy."

"Like it? I'd love it." He replied as he grabbed his laptop out of a satchel. He'd bought it during his holiday, a decrepit, beat-up model that made Tasch's one look like a work of art by comparison. "Send it to my e-mail... you have still got the address, right?"

"Yep." She said. "And I'm going to dump a metric butt-load of game material on you too, so watch out... and sent."

"Thanks Nadia." He finished. "This means a lot to me."

"Yeah, yeah. Just hope they don't put you against us in the first round."

"Meep." He finished. "Okies, bye."

"See ya later." She added, then hung up.

A few minutes later, he strode into the main living room, Laptop in hand. "Hey guys..." He began, beaming. "Want to see the running order for this year's teams?"

"Definitely." Stephen began, stepping out of the kitchen. "I want as much information as I can get. We definitely need to get planning for this years season."

"We didn't plan for last year and we did pretty well." Rose observed, then walked off.

"So maybe with planning we can do better." He countered. "Let's see what you've got, Neil."

Neil sat, opening up the laptop to the information he'd gotten from Nadia. Stephen loomed over him, reading over the list. "Interesting." He began. "I see a lot of familiar names and, more to the point, an awful lot of new ones. It looks like there's been a bit of an explosion of numbers in the last few months, but a lot of these look like first timers."

"I see Firestorm's still there." Neil commented, noting the presence of their one-time rival team, the one that had come the closest to defeating them. "And if they've gotten better, then we're really in the poo."

"Our line-up of Zoids hasn't changed at all." Stephen added. "That's both good and bad. Good because we know our capabilities and we don't have to change our planning for anything new. Bad, because our opponents are going to know us better and be better planned for what we can throw at them."

"I don't think anything could prepare someone for Tasch's piloting." Neil quipped.

Stephen shrugged. "Possibly. But I think a few more people are going to have some idea of what she can do. Last year, she had a lot of shock value going for her."

"So in other words, they should expect the unexpected." He finished. "Makes sense to me."

Stephen scrolled through the list, checking over the names and teams. "There's Firestorm." He noted. "And the Golden Eagles, the Black Warriors, the Venom team, the Steel Sirens... I see every team we fought last year."

"Except for those Milk and Cookies guys." Neil added.

"No surprise there." Stephen commented. "They shouldn't have even been competing. They had no idea what they were doing and certainly weren't capable of competing at a professional level."

"That's a bit harsh." Neil muttered. "Especially given that we were outsider armatures at the time."

"Difference is, Neil, we knew what we were doing." He offered. "They didn't."

Neil smirked to himself. "If you say so, Steve." He quipped. "Me, all I knew was that I was small and squashable and that I was best suited to running away fast. On the other hand, I suppose that I was very good at it."

"Actually, your ability to run way was very useful." Stephen commented, seemingly half-joking and half serious. "You caught a lot of people off-guard that way."

"Well then, I shall continue to run away." Neil finished. "For it is my duty." He looked over the list again. "Seriously though, what do you think? Can we make it this year?'

Stephen examined the list again. "To be honest, I think that we've got little to fear from a lot of these new teams. Many of them look thrown together - even more so then we were. Also a lot of them are competing with less then top-of-the-line equipment, which will further be to our advantage."

"I'd hardly call a beat-up old Gunsniper top of the line."

"True, but compare it to some of what we've got here; Godos, Molgas, Leoblazes..." He indicated at the screen. "We're coming out well ahead of a lot of these guys."

"So you think we're good?"

He nodded confidently. "I'd say that we don't have anything to worry about from the newcomers. Instead, I'd say what we really have to watch for is the more established teams. They'll be seeing the competition, and I know that they'll do everything to stay ahead of it."

oOoOo

The Heavy Arms Koneig Wolf's rifles spat fire, the rounds slamming into the Wild Weasel-equipped Godos as it tried to bring its guns to bear. Shots tore through the machine's chest, ripping it apart and sending the Zoid crashing down to the ground. No sooner was it down then the Wolf turned towards a second, near identical Zoid, opening fire on it. Again the Zoid was knocked over, this time crashing down on its Weasel Unit and snapping it off its back.

"Targets three and four down!" Drake Storm yelled as he turned his attention to the sole remaining Zoid. "Go for it!"

"And you know I will." Miles Slate yelled back. "Okay people, let's do it!"

Firing its thrusters, Krystal Lake's Arosauruer charged forwards, its cannons opening fire on the enemy Genosaurer. Several shots blasted into its flank, gouging off the armour over its shoulder but not doing any serious damage. Moments later, Eliot Morgan's Parablade charged in form the other side, its rail cannons stinging the Genosauruer over the hip.

The enemy Zoid turned to face what it perceived as the greater threat, opening fire with its two pulse cannons on the smaller Zoid. Ready for this move, Krystal fired her booster again, skipping out of the enemy Machine's line of fire. Continuing to move, she turned the Arosaurer's two wrist cannons on the enemy machine, flames washing over its armoured hide. The attack did little damage but it kept the enemy pilot focused on her.

Which was exactly what Miles wanted.

His Death Raser surged forwards, its wing-like blades crackling with blue plasma energy. His Zoid bore down on the distracted Genosaurer, charging forwards as it continued to try and bring down his smaller team mate. At the last moment, the enemy Zoid saw him coming, and turned to face him - but it was too late. The plasma-charged blades tore through the Genosaurer's side, ripping its arm and leg apart and tearing them free from the body. The huge black Zoid collapsed on the ground, its flank a torn wreck.

"The battle is over!" A monitor drone announced as it flew over the battlefield "The winner is the Firestormer team!"

"And a spectacular victory there for the Firestormers." 'Big Jim' Beef began as he looked over the battlefield. "One of last season's favourite teams, they were cut short at the Quarter Finals. It looks like this year they're just as serious and determined."

"Indeed they are, Jim." Henry Urgleflogger, his fellow commentator added. "And the Tyrant Kings are not going to be happy about this crushing defeat either."

"No they're not." Jim continued. "A scoreless loss is always bad, but to happen in the first round, well... that's about as bad as it gets." He chuckled. "Well, except for a scoreless loss in the last round."

"Folks, we'll be taking a break." Henry spoke up. "But don't go away; there's more excitement to come, and later today we'll have the return of a particular favourite team, one that I know you've all been waiting to see again."

oOoOo

"Impressive." Stephen commented as he watched the battle on the monitor. "They've tightened up from last year."

"We've beaten them before." Rose replied in a dismissive tone. "I'm sure we can handle them again."

"I wouldn't be so confident." Stephen shook his head. "They're a lot sharper and a lot better coordinated then they were last year."

"And we've beaten them in two battles." She countered.

"But that ain't too useful a fact." Tasch commented. "'cause two ain't that useful a number fer determining statistics. Naw, if we wanted to know that we could beat 'em, we'd need to have a lot more battles an' try to figure out the proportion of how often we beat them against often they beat us. Then we could say if we could beat 'em with some degree of certainty."

"Way to let the wind out of her sails." Neil quipped. "Good one."

"I'm jus' sayin', that's all."

Stephen smiled, then walked over to the central briefing table. "Now I know that we're all excited about our first battle of the new season. And I know that you're all wanting to leap put there into action."

"Speak for yourself." Neil added. "Some of us want to be behind those leaping into action?"

"Including the backwash of the Kong's thrusters?" Rose quipped.

Neil waved his hands in front of his face. "Pont taken. Nobody wants to catch a Kong fart."

Stephen glared at him for an instant before he returned to the table. "Okay, now that we've got the obligatory bodily function joke out of the way, we can go over the battle."

"Suits me." Neil continued.

Without reacting, Stephen continued. "Today's opponent team are the Winter Wolves, a team who have been around for the last two seasons ands have blobbed around the middle-lower end of the ladder. While they're not the most capable team, I still think that they could be dangerous and certainly are not to be underestimated. This year, by all reports, the team competition is attracting a lot more 'names' to it and people are going to be fighting a lot harder."

"I'll say." Rose added. "Did you see that first battle and the way that the Black Warriors pounded that Rookie Team into the ground? Messy. And to think, that was nearly us last year."

"Yeah, them Nova Ghosts." Tasch commented. "At least they got an appropriate name."

"How so?" Rose raised an eyebrow.

"Well, 'cause 'nova' means 'new.'" She offered. "And since they're all rookies, it means that they're a new team."

"I see..."

"Getting back on topic." Stephen loudly stated. "The Winter Wolves go for a 'fast and agile' approach. With no big, slow Zoids, they're able to keep mobile and concentrate on flanking and evasion without breaking up their team too much. Their leader, Miri Albion, pilots a fully kitted-out Koenig Wolf, which is their most powerful Zoid."

"I read about her." Neil spoke up. "She's rated in the bottom 25 of Koenig Wolf pilots by _Zoidfans._"

"That's a fanzine." Rose replied. "I'd hardly take it as a good reference."

"Well it must be useful. And given their jokes about Koenig Wolf pilots, it also must be dire." He finished with a smile. "And besides, I'm sure you'd be more friendly if you saw how much they drool over you."

"What?"

"Getting back on topic!" Stephen continued. "Putting all jokes about her abilities aside, she still has a powerful Zoid that we need to watch out for. Tasch may be our best bet to harass her and tie her up while we put down the other members of the team, then we can combine fire and finish her off."

"Yeah, I think I can do that." Tasch nodded. "If I can keep her confused, that'd work."

"Tasch, you're an expert at confusing people." Rose offered.

"Thanks."

"This brings me to her number two, Karl Brenn." Stephen spoke up. "He's the oldest member of the team, and while he has less experience he seems to have more skill and tactics."

"What's he got?" Rose asked.

"A stock Whitz Wolf. No swords, no Savinga, nothing."

"Tricky." Neil commented. "Stock Whitzs are rare. If someone's got one, then you know he's up to something." Very few pilots used the Whitz Wolf as stock; most either had a Savinga handy or had traded up to a Sword Wolf. This had led to a lot of disgruntled people (and a few traded in Zoids) with the recent release of the new Rez Wolf.

"Maybe its just that all the team's money gets siphoned into one Zoid." Rose quipped. "Last I heard, those Koneig Wolf cannons didn't come cheap."

So is he dangerous because he don't have an upgraded Zoid?" Tasch asked. "I mean, would he be less dangerous in a Sword Wolf or a Whitz Tiger? Is his threat inverse to his capabilities."

"Uhh..." Rose trailed off.

"Well, if all those jokes about Iguans are to be believed..." Neil added with a smile. "Then yes." 

"I think he's going to be the one we most have to watch for." Stephen continued. "He's got their fastest and most mobile Zoid, and its no slacker on firepower. He's also got more kills then any other team member, so that usually indicates that he's onto a good thing."

"Or he just vulches." Neil added.

"I don't think so." Stephen shook his head. "All I've seen of this team suggests that Miri is in charge and a bit of a glory hound herself; if anything, she seems like the type to steal kills form others. No, I figure he achieves his kills through his own work."

"So who are our other two Mad Elvises?" Neil continued.

"Mick Heep and Jason Hunter; both pilot Command Wolves. Heep's a good shot and often provides long-range support for the other team members; his Zoid has a CP-04 which gives it a disproportionately high punch for its size. He's also proved to be adept at getting in places where he shouldn't and sniping people from behind."

"Sounds like I'll be keeping my eye on him." Neil replied. "As he appears to be following my playbook to a tee. Use a small, very squishable Zoid with lots of firepower, let people ignore you and cause chaos."

"And the other one?" Rose asked.

"He thinks CP-14 is a good weapon for a Command Wolf." Stephen finished. "Harmless."

"Now who's being dismissive?" Rose began.

"And with that." Stephen continued, regardless. "Its time for us to get going."

oOoOo

The doors to the arena opened, the four Zoids of the Broken Chairs team stepping out into the sunlight as they readied for the battle. At the same time, there was a tremendous cheer form the audience, piped back form their remote location, as they saw what had become one of the fan favourite teams emerge.

"As fun as the holiday was," Neil began. "It feels good to be back here."

"I'll say." Rose replied. "I've really missed this place. The excitement, the action..."

"The adoring public?"

"That too." She finished with a smug done.

"It ain't that good." Tasch spoke up. "Sun's still way too bright, an' the sky's still way too blue."

"Only you would say that." Rose giggled.

Looking around, however, Stephen couldn't help but agree with the comments of his team-mates. It was good to be back here, in this familiar place where they had managed so much last year. Despite all that had happened, all that had gone wrong, all the disasters and their invasions, when he looked back on that first year, he always had an immense feeling of satisfaction and happiness. It wasn't just that they had done insanely well for a rookie team, however. It was the feeling of meeting new people and getting to know them, and the joy of working alongside them.

He'd be ready to say that it was the happiest year of his life. And, while this year could be as good a one for the team, he knew that, in truth, it wouldn't have that same degree of well-being from simply growing to know people. Still, that wasn't to say that there wasn't good times ahead...

He bought himself back to reality as the doors opened at the far end of the arena. The enemy team entered, immediately displaying a degree of uniformity that he found surprising. The team's name wasn't just a label; all four enemy machines were indeed Wolf Zoids and, more to the point, were all coloured primarily white. He also could see that his information was right, at least in regards to the Zoids and their configurations; a fully armed Koenig Wolf, a stock Whitz Wolf and a pair of Command Wolves, one with a CP-04 Assault Cannon and one with a CP-14 Viking Lance.

"And there they are." Stephen commented. "Our first opponents of the new season."

"So, ready normal people?" Neil spoke up.

"Ready." Tasch began as she looked over the enemy team while adjusting the tint on the Redler's cockpit.

"Ready." Rose added, a confident edge in her voice.

"Ready." Stephen finished, somewhat surprised at his own voice.

A ZBC monitor drone floated over the arena, settling into the middle. All eyes were on it as they waited for the battle that was about to begin. "The Broken Chairs versus the Winter Wolves." The electronic voice announced. "Both teams confirmed. Arena confirmed. Contestants ready… fight!"

As expected, the Winter Wolves were the first to act. The four Zoids took off, all breaking into high-speed runs downfield towards the Broken Chairs' start position. The Koenig Wolf, largest and obstinately most powerful of the team, took the lead, the Whitz Wolf not too far behind it.

"Go!" Stephen called out as he opened up his own throttle, the Iron Kong lumbering forwards on its heavy knuckles. Around it, the other Zoids leapt into action; Rose's Liger sprinting past him on the right, Neil's Gunsniper on the left, and Tasch's Redler taking to the air behind him. Charging forwards, he lowered his sights, ready for whatever the enemy team may have in store.

The Koenig Wolf was first to act, its twin rifles folding forwards into position, then spitting rounds out at a surprising rate of fire. Stephen reacted quickly, the manoeuvre thrusters throwing his Zoid to the right and out of the enemy Zoid's line of fire. The rounds tore through the air where he had been instead reaping into the ferrocretre floor of the arena. _She's barely even aiming, _he observed. _More of hitting the trigger and hoping._

As planned, Tasch's Redler passed over him, diving at the Koenig Wolf. Opening up with its own cannons, it sent a stream of fire towards the larger enemy Zoid. Shots tore into the Wolf's flank, peppering the armour over its body and hips but not doing any apparent damage. She pulled away, twisting the boosters sharply as she did.

It was a good move- the Wolf turned and opened fire with two of its missile boxes, sending a flight of ten warheads after her Zoid. The pilot, however, had been too hasty; half the missiles simply failed to track the Redler's sudden move, flying straight through the space where the Zoid had been. Tasch clearly saw the rest, the Redler rolling over and beginning to turn as they closed in on her machine. She threw the thrusters again, the Zoid pulling around a second sharp turn that pulled well inside the enemy missiles ability to track, sending them scattering across the skyline before self-destructing.

"I think I got her attention." Tasch called out over the channel. "Okies, y'all can go fer the others now."

Several shots from the Whitz Wolf struck the side of the Iron Kong, hammering the armour but not penetrating it. "Thanks Tasch." Stephen commented as he turned to face the enemy machine. "Keep at it, we'll handle things here!" The Kong's Hyperbeam launcher opened up, spitting out a brilliant beam of energy. However, the other pilot seemed ready, the Wolf nimbly skipping out of the line of fire.

"That's what you need me for, remember?" Rose commented as her Zoid charged forwards, barrelling past the Iron Kong and heading towards the enemy machine. "So just let me handle him. You put down the rest of the crew."

The Liger surged forwards, roaring as it bore down on the smaller Zoid. Grinning with anticipation, Rose opened up with the Impact cannon, sending a volley of shots speeding towards the enemy machine. A few of them hit home, blasting off armour before the enemy pilot reacted, twisting and leaping through the fire directed at him. Rose kept piling on the fire, knowing that it would be enough to keep him off balance and allow her to strike.

The Zero's claws began to light up with energy as the Strike Laser system activated, ready to strike a crippling blow to the enemy machine. Seeing a chance, she charged forwards, leaping at the Whitz Wolf as it was seemingly still recovering form her assault. To her shock, however, the enemy pilot was more then ready for her. The Wolf leapt out of her path, the Zero's claws sailing through empty air where the enemy machine had been.

Flipping out the stabilisers, she tried to bring the Zero around in a sharp turn to keep the Whitz in her sights. As her Zoid turned, it was hammered by several shots to its side that smashed through its armour and rocked it on its feet. Glancing around, she could see the culprit; a white Command Wolf with a CP-04 unit on its back. "Damn it!" She called out. "One of the CWs is onto me!"

Flaring its own boosters, the Whitz quickly turned, heading back towards her Zoid. The machine opened fire with its own impact cannon as well as the two back cannons, several more shots hammering into the Liger Zero. Crying out in alarm, Rose fired the boosters, her Zoid sprinting away form the other two as they tried to close in.

"Guys!" She yelled out. "They're onto me!" Glancing in the rear-view monitor, she opened up with the tail-mounted cannon on the pursuing Whitz Wolf. One of her rounds hit its mark, while the others went wide of the elusive machine. The Command Wolf hung back, instead using its long-ranged cannon to keep taking pot-shots at her.

"I'm on my - whoah!" Neil called out as his Gunsiper charged forwards, only to skip backwards past a volley of cannon fire. The Koenig Wolf charged towards him, spraying rounds form its twin rifles at his Zoid while charging after him. Hopping and skipping while firing its boosters, the Sniper ran ahead of the Wolf's line of fire, barely able to avoid harm. "Well I think I've found the limit of her marksmanship!"

"I can't tell if she's using saturation fire to pin Neil down then go for the fangs, or if she's just that bad a shot." Stephen grunted. "Either way, it works..." he checked over the situation. "Hang in there, Rose! I'm coming!" The Iron Kong charged forwards, bearing down on the two enemy machines. The shoulder missile pod flipped open, spraying its contents at the two Zoids. Several shots slammed into each of them, enough to focus their attention.

Each of them saw what was coming and picked the best course of action, breaking off and splitting up rather then stand and fight with the massive Zoid. "Tasch! Get the pressure off Neil!" he added as he tried to follow the two targets.

"Gotcha!" She called out, her Redler looping over and then diving down towards the Koenig Wolf from behind. As it approached, she again opened fire with the cannons, the rounds tearing armour form the Zoid's rear and tail. The enemy pilot realised what was going on, suddenly breaking into a run, abandoning the Gunsniper to turn their attention to the return of the Redler. As before, they rippled off two volleys of missiles as Tasch pulled out of her attack run.

It was a marginal shot at best, exacerbated by the Redler's stealth systems which meant that the missiles had a hard enough time tracking it to begin with. Several of the missiles failed to achieve a target lock, simply streaking straight past the escaping Zoid. Tasch seemed to be ready for the rest, pulling a tight corner to again turn inside their course.

Wheeling around, Tasch dived towards the Koenig Wolf again. Confident that the enemy pilot had no defences left against her (Having expended all their missiles) the rolled the Redler over as she dived, extending out the tailblade. The enemy pilot, clearly caught off guard by this move, didn't attempt to defend themselves as she swooped down on it. The Redler passed over the Wolf, the blade tearing through the CP-22 unit on its back, neatly bisecting it before she pulled up and away.

In frustration, the Koenig Wolf's pilot elevated the cannons, clearly intending to open fire on the fleeing Zoid. Instead there was an empty whirring sound as the damaged servos attempted to feed non-existent ammunition into the non-functional rifles.

"That help?" She asked as the Redler rolled over.

"Very much so." Stephen replied. "Now let's try and finish this. Neil, take that second C-Wolf. Rose, you and I will concentrate on Whitz and his friend."

oOoOo

"Gotcha." Neil called back, his Gunsiper hopping past the larger Iron Kong. The small Zoid charged downfield, headed towards the enemy Command Wolf. "Take on a Command Wolf, huh? Care to give me n easy job?" He muttered as he sized up the situation, half-jokingly. The two Zoids were equally fast, and both were known for their frailty. Thee difference however, lay in armaments; the Command Wolf (at least, its base model) was considered by many to be underarmed for its size. By comparison, the Gunsniper was considered to be over armed, almost ridiculously such. And while the enemy wolf carried a Viking Lance, Neil was pretty sure that it wouldn't enter into the equation.

He opened fire on the enemy machine at extreme range, the two wrist-mount gattling cannons spitting fire at the enemy Zoid. Several rounds hit its shoulders and flanks before the enemy pilot reacted, skipping out of Neil's line of fire. The Wolf's top turret turned back towards Neil's Zoid, replying with fire from its own cannons.

"Okay, so he can shoot back." Neil muttered as he fired the Sniper's boosters, the small Zoid skipping out of the way. "I hate it when they do that."

Taking the opportunity, the Command Wolf charged forwards, barging past Neil's Zoid. As it ran, it fired off two of the smoke canisters on its back, kicking up a huge cloud of thing black smoke that obscured the Zoid from view. Glancing at the enemy machine, he could see that it was headed towards the Iron Kong. "Stephen, keep an eye out. I think our Wolf's looking to be a hero and score a big name kill with his spork."

"Can you deal with it?" He called back. "I've still got my hands full here."

"Gotcha." He nodded. "Shouldn't be too hard..." He turned to run after the Command Wolf, plunging headlong into the thick cloud of black smoke it had left behind it to discourage pursuit. _Nice idea, _Neil figured. _Pity it's not going to work at all. _The Gunsniper's advanced radar system cut through the smoke, locating and locking up the Command Wolf as it ran, and nicely placing Neil directly behind the enemy Zoid. "And that's just what I was looking for."

He thumbed the trigger, the two rocket launchers on the Gunsniper's back flipping open before disgorging sixteen warheads towards the enemy Zoid. The Command Wolf's pilot didn't realise what was going on until too late, the weapons slamming into the weakly-armoured rear of his machine, blasting through the hind legs and rump. The Zoid stumbled, then crashed to the ground, its lance ploughing into the floor of the arena as it skidded to a halt.

"One doggie down." He called back, wheeling the Gunsniper around.

oOoOo

"Thanks for that." Stephen called back. "Now let's see to putting down the rest of this pack." The iron Kong turned and opened fire, the Hyperbeam cannon blasting at the Koenig Wolf. The shot tore through the Zoid's flank, obliterating two of the empty missile boxes as it shredded armour and tore into the frame. Despite the severity of the damage, however, the Wolf remained standing.

Shaking off the damage, the Zoid broke into a limping run, heading towards his Iron Kong. As it charged, he could see that the fangs were beginning to crackle with electricity, indicating that the pilot was charging the Zoid's dangerous melee weapon. "Lady, you don't want to do that." He commented to himself as he pushed his Zoid into a run. "Going toe-to-toe with a Kong is never, ever a good idea." Strangely enough, he figured that the enemy team were probably telling her the same thing.

"Of course, you have to get there first." he added as he opened fire with the pulse cannons, aiming to knock the Zoid out quickly. To her credit, she managed to keep the Wolf's more damaged flank out of his line of fire as she ran. Regardless, Stephen's shots managed to land home, peppering the Koenig Wolf's flank with fire.

The Wolf suddenly veered, then came running straight at the Iron Kong, its fangs bared to strike and crackling with electricity. Stephen saw his chance, firing the thrusters to leap to one side, then swinging around with one of the Zoid's massive armored fists. It collected the Koenig Wolf as the machine leaped to strike, slamming into its exposed underbelly and sending the Zoid reeling. The Wolf crashed to the ground on one side, clearly out of action. The electrical charge across its fang popped and sizzled, then dissipated as smoke began to rise form the Wolf's over-taxed systems.

"That's the funny thing about Zoids with a killer melee weapon." He mused. "Their pilots get so overconfident in their ability to swat anything with them that they forget about everything else."

"That's nice, Stephen." Rose cut in. "But can I get a little bit of help here? This guy is being annoyingly persistent."

With a sizzle of energy, a bolt from one of the Whitz Wolf's Electron Cannons narrowly missed her Zoid. A second blast, however, struck home, searing armour off the Zero's flank. Rose wheeled her machine around, trying to work her way out of the Zoid's line of fire while bringing her own guns to bear. All of a sudden, the Zero's limited arsenal was beginning to bite hard.

"We need to get me one of those CAS units." She commented over the channel as she bought her Zoid around, then opened up the throttle. "I think it'd direfully improve our performance." The Zero ran towards the Whitz Wolf, firing its impact cannon as it ran. Several shots hammered the enemy machine, but weren't enough to bring it down. Confident, she drove towards the enemy Zoid, then leaped to strike with her Zoid's deadly claws.

The Whitz pilot, however, was ready for her, twisting out of the Zero's path as it struck. She came down, and was immediately greeted with a volley of fire form the Command Wolf, one of the shots blasting into the armour over the Zero's thrusters. "Guys? Where are you?"

As a response, a volley of shots slammed into the side of the enemy Command Wolf, ripping into its armour. The Zoid turned away, opening fire on Neil's Gunsniper as it closed in. In turn, the Gunsniper peeled away, taking a few passing shots at the Zoid as it ran.

"Gotcha." Rose smiled to herself as the Command Wolf turned to face the smaller machine. Swinging around again, she charged at it just as it levelled its weapons at Neil. "Sorry, boy, but this is the end for you." She added with a grin as she closed in for the kill.

The Whitz pilot must have warned his comrade about what was going on, but it was too late. The Command Wolf swung around but, lacking the speed or the agility of its larger brother, didn't get a chance to react. Several impact cannon bursts slammed into its side, tearing up the armour on the hips and slamming into the servos. As the Wolf staggered under the assault, Rose fired the boosters and leaped on the Zoid, the Strike Laser Claws scything through the air at it. Tracing a brilliant golden arc, they sliced through the CP-04 unit, ripping it free from the machine's body, before continuation on their path of destruction. Slicing through one of the exposed hips, they tore the Zoid's foreleg apart.

The Wolf crashed to the ground, its side and back a tangled mess of parts. "Awesomesauce." Rose muttered to herself, a confident smile on her face. It evaporated a moment later as a pair of shots slammed into her Zoid's back, causing the Zero to stagger under the assault. Glancing behind her, she could see the Whitz Wolf charging towards her, evading fire from Stephen's Zoid as it advanced. Another couple of shots hit home, throwing her forward against the console.

_He's crazy! _She thought as she fired her own thrusters, trying to get out of the Zoid's line of attack. _Either that or he's determined to get a point or two for his team. Either's good for me. _She added a couple of shots form the tail gun, but they went well wide of their mark.

Seeing a chance, the Whitz Wolf leaped at her Zoid, its own claws and fangs ready to strike. In never landed the blow; a black shadow passing before it for a second, then suddenly veering off course as if struck. The Zoid crashed to the ground on its side, one of its legs neatly sheered off halfway down.

"Whew." Rose began, slumping back into her seat. "Nice work there."

Tasch's Black Redler swooped around and then stopped in a hover over the battlefield. "Well, I was tryin' to get him ." She commented. "An' I saw a chance."

"Wait, his leaping at me is a chance?" Rose asked.

Tasch nodded. "It meant he couldn't manoeuvre none an' would have a pretty hard time reactin' to anything I did."

"I see..." She finished, then grinned. "Heh, either way, you did good there."

A small monitor drone floated overhead, passing under the hovering Redler. "The battle is over!" I announced after a brief survey of all the Zoids involved. "The winner is the Broken Chairs!"

"Ladies and Gentlemen." Neil commented as his Gunsniper walked over to the Zero, Stephen's massive iron Kong lumbering behind it. "I think I speak for all of us when I say this; it's good to be back"

oOoOo

"Welcome back , folks." Henry J. Urgleflogger began. "We're here today at the first round of this season's team tournament. For those of you just joining us, we've just seen an excellent showing by the Scarlet Crusade, with a spectacular four-nil win over the Violet Lightning."

"Loskey in particular has shown a lot of improvement." Jim Beef continued. "His performance this year has been well up on his previous showing. And while some may just put it down to the new Zoid, I think there's more to it then that."

"That it may be. The competition so far has been very fierce for a first round." Henry offered. "Not what I'd expect."

"Well, after last year, we're getting a flood of eager young rookies." Jim observed. "And with the performance of the Broken Chairs in last year's competition, who can blame them? There's a whole lot of first-timers out there who want to be the next big thing."

"We could be seeing this year's winner here already." Henry added in a rather pointless statement. Of course this year's winner was here. One of these teams would be the winner, it was a given with the structure of the competition.

Ignoring him, Jim turned to the subject of the next battle. "Up next we have a returning favourite, the Renegade Legion. CK is confident that this year will be his team's big year. Certainly, they do have the experience."

"But then, they say that every year." Henry quipped.

"Well, everybody has to get lucky some time." Jim continued. "They'll be facing off with a new team, the Red Shadows. A last minute entry, we really can't say too much about them." He paused, then tapped his headset. "Hold up here... I've just been informed that the Red Shadows will be using only a single Zoid in this battle." He raised a surprised eyebrow. "That's a very confident move, I must say."

While a Zoid team could consist of two to four Zoids, the team was not required to use its full strength during a battle. Instead, they could opt to leave one or more of their machines out of the battle. While rare, it did have its advantages; a victory with a smaller team was worth more points.

"Confident or stupid." Henry countered to his partner. "And it looks like this may be the Renegade Legion's big year after all. They'll be going into this battle at four on one now, favourable odds in anybody's books."

"Did you hear that?" CK began, turning away from the big screen in the ready room. "Our opponent has just intentionally crippled themselves." He grinned, showing his nicotine-stained teeth. "I don't know if they are overconfident or stupid but, either way, its a big advantage to us. We shall use our numbers and drive them into the ground."

Porcha replied with a roll of her hideous, cackling laugher. "The fools. They've set themselves up so marvellously. It'll be a joy to watch them fail."

"Yeah." 'Chopper' added. "Real cool."

"Do not be too overconfident." Akira commented. "If they think they can handle this match with a single Zoid, then they probably have a good reason. I would advise caution in this battle."

"Oh, Akira." CK shook his head. "You worry far too much. We'll take this easily. This will indeed be our big year." he turned to his team. "So saddle up, men. This is going to be an easy one."

A few minutes later, the Renegade Legion's four Zoids stepped out into the arena, proudly standing in the bright sun. CK Grinned to himself as he surveyed the battlefield, already contemplating what would be an easy victory. _It doesn't matter who they think they are and what they think they can do. They don't stand a chance against the four of us. _His Gravity Wolf slowly walked forwards, Porscha's Leomaster next to it. Behind him, Chopper Dave's Doublesworder took to the air, hovering in place above them, while Akira's Storm Sworder stood ready to launch.

"Okay, boys." CK grinned. "There's only going to be one challenge here today; who takes this sucker down." He grinned broadly. "And I intend for that man to be me."

"This will be a glorious battle." Porcha added. "And it'll be so much fun to crush this fool under our feet." She finished, then burst out laughing.

The noise died as the doors at the far end of the arena opened, a single Zoid stepping out. It was a Liger like Porcha's machine, but that was where the similarity ended. Far larger, it had a rather rocco, rampant style, with long, flowing curves designed to only enhance its size. A pair of orange drums rested behind its head, while a pair of large cannons were mounted on its forelegs. A golden horn on its head rounded out its arsenal. The massive red and black Zoid roared, as if issuing a challenge to the pilots it was facing.

"And here we see the single Zoid that the Red Shadows have chosen to field." Henry commented. "And it's a doozie."

"Well they're going four on one, but that one is a lot with an Energy Liger." Jim replied. "So let's see how this turns out."

The ZBC monitor drone floated over to the middle of the arena, rotating as it surveyed the combatants. "The Renegade Legion versus the Red Shadows." The electronic voice of the battle monitor began. "Both teams confirmed. Arena confirmed. Contestants ready… fight!"

"Go!" CK shouted. "Tear him apart!" His Gravity Wolf converted into its motorcycle mode, taking off with its wheels screeching on the concrete floor. A moment later, Porcha's Leomaster broke into a run, keeping up with the smaller Zoid. Akira's Storm Sworder took to the air, joining the Doublesworder as it buzzed downfield.

The Energy Liger broke into a run, taking huge strides as it charged towards its enemies. It raised its cannons, the Charger Gattling spitting a stream of fire into the air as it closed in. Akira swerved his Storm Sworder out of the line of fire, the black and purple Zoid climbing and soaring away from the Energy Liger's charge. Dave was less lucky, the shots tearing through the Doublesworder's body before he was able to act. Rent with fire, the smaller Zoid crashed to the ground, skidding across the arena floor before coming to a halt.

"Get him!" CK called out, his Gravity Wolf speeding up and charging forwards. In reply, The Liger simply ran straight at his Zoid, bearing down on it. "I've got you right in my sights..." He slurred as he lined up a shot, the opened fire with the Wolf's single Gravity Missile. "Scratch one-" he began, but cut himself off as the Liger opened fire on the weapon. Shredded by fire, the missile simply blew apart in mid-air, detonating in a spectacular, but harmless fireball.

Porscha's Leomaster deployed its twin beam cannons, opening fire on the charging Zoid. The Energy Liger leaped, bouncing across the arena and then leaping up one side wall, deftly evading its fire. The Zoid's wings swung out, the machine taking to the air as it swept around, not firing but rather concentrating on evasion.

"He's behind us!" CK called out. "Come about!" The Gravity Wolf skidded through the turn, righting itself before charging off after its target. Moments later, the Leomaster joined it, charging downfield. The Energy Liger swung around, landing in a fast run, heading towards their machines.

"I'll run him into the ground!" Porcha snarled, her Zoid's energy shield flaring to life as it ran forwards. "There's nothing more satisfying then the sound of somebody going under!" She added with a cacking laugh.

The two Zoids charged forwards, the Energy Liger responding by running straight at them. The Zoid opened fire with its pulse cannon, the shots impacting on the Leomaster's shield with brilliant blue flares of energy. While the shield initially held, the Liger's pilot simply continued to pour on the shots. As they closed, the shield suddenly flickered and gave way, shutting down just before the two Zoid's met.

"What's he doing?" CK shouted as the Liger leaped at the pair of them, its wings flicking out from its body. The Zoid passed between the two Renegade Legion Zoids, seemingly ignoring them before it leaped past them. Then, as it ran, both the Gravity Wolf and the Leomaster simply toppled over.

"I warned them." Akira muttered as his Storm Sworder wheeled around. "Still, there is always hope." Swooping down, he dived towards the enemy Zoid. The four cannons on the Sworder's wings opened up, spraying the enemy Zoid with shots. Several shots struck the Liger, but for the most part didn't seem to do anything. The Zoid instead accelerated, sprinting past the Sworder's arc of fire. Akira pulled up and away, trying to keep his eyes on the enemy machine as he bought his Zoid around.

For its part, the Energy Liger took several long strides before leaping into the air. Bouncing off one of the arena walls, it leapt towards the Storm Sworder, opening fire with its twin cannons. Several rounds struck Akira's Zoid before he rolled over, managing to twist between shots. Turning towards the Liger, he opened up the throttle, extending the Storm Sworder's trio of blades. "This is it!" he called out. "You go no further!"

To his shock, the Liger turned towards him. The Zoid rolled over, bringing up one of its own wings across the Sworder's path. Glowing a brilliant orange with all the energy being channelled through it, the blade at the wing's leading edge sliced through the Storm Sworder's wing, sending the Zoid spiralling downwards.

It was all over.

"The battle is over!" The monitor drone announced after surveying the battlefield, as if to underscore Akria's feelings. "The winner is the Red Shadows!"

"Certainly an upset there." Henry commented as he looked over the battlefield. "Four Zoids taken down by a single pilot, and nary a scratch to show for it."

"There you go." Jim offered. "It proves that you can't expect anything in this sport."

"You sound like you were expecting this, Jim." Henry spoke up.

"Well, sort of." Jim replied, a smug tone in his voice. "I heard a rumour that former ZBC champion Jill Constantine had returned to the competition." He glanced down at the red and black Zoid that was standing in the middle of the battlefield, surrounded by its downed foes. "Looking down there, I'd say there's some truth to that."

oOoOo

Rose stared at the monitor, looking at the four wrecked Zoids strewn across the arena. What amazed her was not how quickly they had been taken down, but the fact that they had been dispatched by a single Zoid. That she knew who the pilot was only made things worse.

"That's..." She began as the Energy Liger roared out again. "That's amazing."

"She took out the whole team on herself." Neil commented. "Its far from encouraging. And then when you think of what she did to all those NUBG guys..."

Rose nodded slowly. She distinctly recalled their first encounter with the Zoid, where it had saved her and Neil from an NUBG attack. It had done this by effortlessly taking out a Dark Spiner and a Liger Zero X, tearing both Zoids apart before they were even aware of its presence. Rose had been shocked not only by the speed of the attack, but by the level of damage inflicted upon the two Zoids. And even after the mysterious attacks had continued, there had been a strange kind of reassurance. Rose had somehow known that, even though she had no idea who the pilot was or why they were doing what they had, the pilot was on their side and looking out for them.

"And we're gonna have to fight it some day." Tasch added. "Well that should be interesting."

And that was the point. She'd known that they'd never have to fight it. But now, that was looking like it wouldn't be an option any more.


	2. Reconnecting

**Pointy Muses Fic II**

Chapter Two - Reconnecting

By Rick R.

oOoOo

One of the things that had amazed Neil was how quickly the four of them had gotten back into habit. As soon as they had moved back into their base, it was like they hadn't left at all. Within a day or two, everyone was following through the same routines, the same patterns and the same behaviour as they'd displayed the previous season.

To him it wasn't a bad thing, per se. In fact, he kind of liked it. Predictable, humdrum, day to day existence had a certain appeal to it. While many might say that following the same routine was drab or lifeless, to him it was a nice mote of stability. He liked it when things were calm and predictable. It meant that nothing bad was going to happen, which was always a plus.

And besides, he was sure an anthropologist would find it a very interesting study. Or something.

This morning was no exception. Stephen and Tasch had just spent several hours going over their repairs form the last battle and figuring out what parts they'd need to order for future. As the team's only two qualified Zoid mechanics, it was one of their most important jobs, vital to keeping the team running. It was also something that Neil would gladly admit that he had no clue about at all, so he didn't even try to influence the procedure.

Frankly, he was just glad that they knew what they were doing as well as they did. It meant the team stayed alive, which was good.

Rose, on the other hand, was engaged in her morning workout - something that she was rather fastidious about. He could understand the logic behind it; her appearance was important to her, especially given that she was trying to sell herself as a "face" for product endorsement. Her keeping fit and working out seemed perfectly reasonable to him. Again, however, he was glad that he wasn't doing it.

So that left him with a morning to waste on, well, nothing really. Except to ogle Rose as she walked past after her workout, clad in her skin-tight exercise gear and all hot and sweaty. _Yeah, life's good._

"Do you still play that silly game?" Rose asked as she walked back form the kitchen, a can of drink in her hand.

"Depends on which silly game you mean." Neil replied. "The silly computer game, or the silly pencil and paper game?"

She paused for a moment, clearly trying to figure it out. "Uh, the computer game. The one where you pilot a Zoid."

"_Zoids World Online?_" He shrugged. "Not in three months, no. I gave it up when the company behind it made it clear that it hated all us users for making them spend their time running the game. So I moved onto greener pastures."

"What do you mean?"

"Different game, my dear." He explained, opening up his own can. "Because of the overt hostility displayed by an odious parent concern, I have decided to move onto playing a completely different game. So goodbye _Zoids World Online _and ZOE's irritating habits, and hello _Battlecraft World. _At the very least, I figure that the parent company will be less awful." He shrugged. "I'm just surprised you were interested."

"I heard about it from a fried of mine." She casually replied. "Just thought you'd know more."

"You play _BCW_?" Tasch asked from across the room, looking up from her battered laptop.

"Last two months, yeah." He explained. "Why do you ask?"

"What server are y'all on?" She continued.

"Uh, Crimson Guard."

"Ah... well that's nice." She continued. "'cause that's the server I'm currently playin' on. I started playin' on Thunderhammer,but it got too full an' all laggy. So then I tried Mog'roshbut I didn't like havin' to PvP all the time. An' the lag on Darkshore was too much, given that it was about the only Nyxx-based server. So then I got onto CG, 'cause I wanted to give the RP side a try an' I think it worked out really well."

"You play _BCW _too?" He asked, spinning around in his chair.

"Uh-huh." She nodded. "I mean, why else would I be talkin' about all the servers I've been on?"

He shook his head, surprised by this revelation. "Really, I mean, uh, for how long now?"

"About two years." She said.

"_Two years?_" he spluttered. "But that'd mean that you'd have been playing since not too long after the launch and... Wow"

"Okay." Rose interjected. "You two are freaking me out way too much with all the geekness. So, uh, I'm gonna step out and try to get far way." Without waiting for a reply, she stepped past the pair of them, shaking her head. "Just when I thought you two couldn't get any weirder..."

Either ignoring or not noticing her, Tasch continued. "Yeah, I got a whole bunch of characters, but I only keep a couple active at the moment."

"Well, uh..." He glanced around. "Hang on, I'll get my own compy, and, um... I guess we could, like, uh, get together and do stuff?"

"Well sure." Tasch nodded. "I jus' gotta finish this last e-mail to my sis an' then I'd be glad to help y'all out."

Neil grinned. "Awesomesauce. Give me the names of your characters and I'll get my stuff together." He was grinning enthusiastically, split ear to ear almost. "Suffice to say, Tasch, you've made me a very happy man."

And all of a sudden, the predictability was broken and new random elements were thrown in. However, they were good elements, ones that were desirable. So he was, again, happy.

oOoOo

While the Broken Chairs' team base was a converted building (and somewhat shabby), many other teams used purpose-built facilities. A team's base was often a status symbol, a sign of just how successful they were and, as a result, how much wealth they had.

The Firestorm team's base was a good example of this. Built in a purpose-designed Zoid team district of the city, it boasted extensive servicing and maintenance facilities, training facilities, a briefing room and reasonable living quarters for the pilots. Miles Slate, the team's leader, had cosen it for two reasons. The first was to ensure the success of his team. The second was to ensure that they would look good.

And it had very nearly worked. In the previous season, the Firestorm team had been one of the most successful teams - and looked good while doing it. They had suffered only two defeats in the entire season (as well as a third match which was ruled no contest due to outside interference) and gone all the way to the quarter finals. It was no mean feat to say the least, especially in a year of rather stiff competition.

Unfortunately, Miles Slate, the team's leader, hadn't seen it that way. To say that he had been upset would have been an understatement; he'd furiously lashed out at the rest of his team, blaming them for their defeat. For a while, it looked like the team would have broken up there and then.

Except they hadn't. Instead, Miles had sent the members out politely worded invitations, asking if they would rejoin him for another season. The result was that the four members of Firestorm had reunited and entered into the new season's competition, seemingly unsure of what to expect.

Drake Storm sat in the team's briefing room, watching the footage from their previous battle. As he watched, Krystal's customised Arosaurer charged forwards, blasting into the flank of a much larger Genosaurer with its twin booster cannons. As the Genosaurer turned to face her, several rounds from Eliot Morgan's Parablade also struck it. Miles paused the display, pointing at what was going on.

"This is good." He explained. "This is just what I was hoping to see, actually." He restarted the display, the Genosaurer looking around as fire from the two smaller Zoids distracted it. Then, just as it was turning to the Arosaurer, a new Zoid entered the fray. Miles' Death Raser charged forwards, its blades tearing through the flank of the unsuspecting Genosaurer. He again paused at the point of impact.

"We worked together on this one." He explained. "Each and every one of us contributed to this victory. There was no grand-standing, no glory-hogging, no debating over who got to kill what. We simply focused on our objective and followed it through."

He smiled as he walked around to the front of the meeting table. "Even though this was only our first battle of the season, I'm feeling very encouraged about our odds. If we can stay this tight, keep it this close together, then I'm sure that we can take it all the way."

"You know." Krystal Lake whispered to Drake as she leaned closer. "I think I liked it better when he was all angry and shouty."

Drake raised an eyebrow, but gave no overt response. He himself had been initially wary to return to Firestorm; after their being knocked out of the competition, Miles had pretty much out and blamed him for the team's loss. However, on reflection, he had chosen to come back. He believed that Firestorm and Miles had a lot of potential, even if Miles' people skills were lacking. However, the way he'd worded the invitation suggested that maybe Mr Slate was a changed man; a lot more humble and willing to listen to his men.

"I mean, I'm glad he's not shouting at me." She continued. "Its just that, well, you know, his being nice is a little... wrong."

"People change, Krystal." Drake finally spoke up as he lifted her hand off his thigh. "And I for one am interested to see where this change goes."

"Okay." Miles spoke up. "This week we're going up against the Blue Destiny team. They're a bunch we faced last year, but their layout has changed a bit. Their Blade Liger has been upgraded with a CP-12 unit, while they've added a Rayse Tiger. This is going to change things quite a bit." He looked over the room. "So, I'm looking for some suggestions on how we're going to handle matters."

Drake nodded. _And this is the chance. Miles has shown that not only is he a capable pilot, but he's becoming a capable leader. If this is an indication of how he's grown, then I think that we may indeed be unbeatable. _"I have a few, if I may."

Miles nodded. "Drake, go ahead."

"Thanks, Miles." He replied. _it is up to us - all of us - to make that happen._

oOoOo

As much as he'd enjoyed getting to see the rest of the team, there was one person who Neil had been hoping to hear from that was outside the team. Last year, he'd become good friends with Nadia Sverdolorva, a member of the Iron Giants team. He'd liked her a lot; the two of them had a lot in common and liked a lot of the same things. That she was rather cute didn't hurt matters either.

They'd spoken once since he'd gotten back into the city, calling to deliver some information that was already proving to be very useful. This had made him happy. But then she'd called him, asking to meet, which made him even happier. He'd picked a decentish cafe not too far from her team's base, then bolted over there to meet her.

"Hi Neil." She began casually as she sat down at his table. "Good to see ya again."

_Cute smile. Can't resist. Must keep brain focused. _"Er, heya." He began. "Long time no see."

"Well, off seasons and all..." She casually remarked. "Everyone wanting to get away from the people they've been cooped up with for the last six months and all that. You know how it goes."

"Oh yeah." He nodded then smiled. "I love the rest of my team to bits, but even I have to get away from them every now and then. Spending the off-season with them would have probably driven me nuts."

"Tell me about it." She replied. "Jeroen, well... he's a great team leader and a great planner and an awesome pilot, but he's really not a people person. Last thing I'd want to do is spend my holidays hanging around him."

"And instead you just come back for the pre-season pressure-cooker, right?"

"Got it in one." She added with a smile. "He's not happy unless we're back into training with at least a month to spare. And as much as I may bitch about it, I know that he's just trying to get the best out of the team, which works for me."

"Well, you have been champions two years running. So he must be doing something right."

"True, true." She finished. "But enough about work. How ya been, Neil?"

"Living in a rampantly unexciting life of visiting my six dozen or so near relatives. I'd tell you all about how my holidays went but, well, I know that it'd bore you to tears. No, really."

"That good?"

"Well..." he began. "You know how the movies always seem to show Europa as being nothing but run-down farms and small towns filled with country bumpkins?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't complain about that depiction because I know it's true. Trust me."

"Fun." She smiled. "Then I won't torture you by telling me how good my holiday was."

"Go on. I don't mind pain. If you met my family, you'd know why."

She laughed, then smiled gain. "It was horrible, Neil. I splashed out all my prize money on a beach resort holiday and a new car. All I did was spend my time getting a tan while being surrounded by buff lifeguards in speedos."

"Torturous, I can tell." He smirked.

"I whinged all about it on my Blog." She continued. "You should take a look."

"Nuh-uh." He shook his head. "I swore off those things after I once snuck a peak at Rose's LW."

"Oh?" She asked. "Do tell. I love juicy gossip."

"I won't reveal intimate details of my team." He replied. "Suffice to say, the best thing about it is that she doesn't maintain it anymore. She lost interest halfway through last season."

"Poop. Ah well, I was thinking about things..." She began, trailing off for a moment. "And there's something I've been meaning to ask you for a while now, Neil. I guess... well, I never got the opportunity before now."

He was momentarily lost for words, a rare occurrence to say the least. Swallowing loudly, he managed to squeak out a "yes."

"Would you be interested in continuing with the game?" She continued. "Laura said she was good to run it, but I wanted to ask you about it. You were a lot of fun to play with, Neil, and I'd really want you back."

"Uh, yeah, sure." He spluttered out, realising she was saying something completely different to what he'd expected. "Um, anytime, yeah. That'd be great. Really."

"Cool beans." She replied, flashing another cute smile. "I meant to ask you earlier but, well, I spent most of my holiday bumming and having a good time and not thinking much... and then I get back here and I've got Jeroen all over me, which means that I don't have any time to think at all."

"Ah, its cool. I had other stuff on my mind as well." he defensively replied.

"Like getting tooled over by the 'Enhanced Game Experience', huh?" She asked, wryly.

"You could say that." He smiled. "I got so pissed off at ZOE over it that I quit playing _Zoids World Online _altogether. That's why you wouldn't have seen MiniMooMoo in the last few months."

"I know what you mean." She nodded. "Nice going on their part to turn a laid-back and enjoyable game for serious mature people into a point and click fest for spotty teenagers."

"While at the same time trashing all the social options." She snorted. "Yiffie was manager of a neutral tavern for a while. And while it still exists, most of the socialising is out the window. But it gets worse."

"Worse?" Neil asked. "Worse then forty eight zillion kids who have Bio Megaraptors spamming fireballs left right and centre and tagging all the mobs on their own because their Hell Armour has been buffed to the moon?"

"Yeah well..." She shrugged. "With another of my alts, Pantus, I had been shooting for the big time."

"You mean-" He raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I was doing the Darth Grind." She continued. "I'd done all the training, power-levelled all my skills, including all the worthless ones, looked for all the hidden clues and done all but the last quest on the chain."

"And then they go and make Darth a starter character class." Neil finished. "Yow."

"So not only can Pantus never become a Darth, he also spend a lot of time and moneys doing, well, nothing." She shoot her head. "Meanwhile, there are swarms of damn Zombiekids running around with black cloaks and red laser swords-"

"And Bio Megaraptors"

"-and Bio Megaraptors." She fumed. "Thanks for that, ZOE."

"Yeah, that was a great call." He continued. "Make all these changes without even bothering to tell us, and instead sneak them through during the festive season rush. That must have done them wonders."

"Did me wonders." She finished. "So I also quit and got me a new MMO."

"Don't tell me, _Battlecraft World_?" He smirked.

"Yeah, right. Like there's a choice." She smiled. "I mean, I could have chosen _Bloodlines III._"

The pair of them burst out laughing. "Naw, Nadia, you wouldn't have done that." He continued. "I mean, you're a human being, not a gold-farming bot. You're overqualified."

"You kidding? I could spam 'u bai gold kthnkx bai' in my sleep." She laughed again.

"And spend all your day staring at Catgirl bottoms in leather thongs?" He added. "Yeah, real mature. I've oft wondered why they don't just call it 'Boobies the game' and be done with it."

"Yeah..." She finished. "And you?"

"BCW as well." He finished. "On the Crimson Guard server, because it's supposedly newbie friendly."

"Wow." She seemed to almost squeal with delight. "That's the same server I picked, actually."

_Oh wow! _He added. _This is too good to be true! I'm totally geeking out here, and it's in a good way too. _"Really?" He asked. "Because If you need in to a good guild, I can get you in. I just joined one myself."

"Thanks, but I'm in a good one myself, the Black Dragon Brotherhood. I know it's got a wanky as all hell title, but its got surprisingly good leaders and decentish people."

"Uhh..." He began, the burst out laughing. "Oh man, that is just too good."

"Wha?" She blinked. "Do tell, Dr Fruitloop."

"That's the guild I just got in on." He explained. "Did you see Bobette, the little mage girl who joined the other day?"

"Wait... that's you?" She squinted. "Little useless girl who spams frostballs and runs around like she's on fire?"

"Doesn't it make sense?" He grinned.

"Well... yeah." She smiled. "And I'm-"

"Kane, the outrageously camp Warlock in the pimp hat with matching robes, right?" He grinned. "Yeah, that's you."

"How did you ever guess?" She slurred, dripping with sarcasm.

"Most silly character in the guild, easy." He stated. "Frankly, it couldn't be anyone but you, especially after I eliminated the only other option."

"Other option?" She raised a conspiratorial eyebrow.

"Well, you know the guild boss-"

"Rayvenne, the kind of flaky Elf Priestess?" She asked. "Good at what she does, but any conversation with her - IC or OOC - ends with your brain being tied in a knot?"

"Yep." He finished. "Well, I know who that is."

She glared at him. "Either you're blatantly lying to kiss up, or this is more screwed-up then I can imagine." She paused. "It's Tasch, isn't it?"

"Yeahyeahyeahyeahyeah." Neil blurted out as he nodded vigorously.

"Well... that explains a lot." She shook her head. "Freaking hell."

"I figure that this will be a very funny season." He finished. "Both on and off the field." _And hopefully, we might get beyond RPGs and MMOs. Oh please, oh please..._

oOoOo

Ron McGonnagle counted down the numbers as the lift descended through the ZBC headquarters. He was trying his best to remain patient and calm, knowing full well that he'd volunteered for this job, despite the fact that he knew it was going to be an annoyance at best. However, it was also a chance for him to find a way to deal with something that had been annoying him for some time.

The lift opened out into a spacious lobby, Ron stepping out and immediately noting the number of people around. However, these weren't the office workers that predominated elsewhere in the ZBC officers. These people were, for the most part, competition Zoid pilots who had business here.

Besides running the Zoid battles, the ZBC centre provided numerous extra services for the pilots that its business relied upon. It provided simulators, conference centres, training facilities, recruiting faculties and even access to ZBC-Approved Zoids, parts and muntions dealers. Many teams would spend their time here practicing or preparing for battles, as well as engaged in more mundane, day-to-day functions that were needed to keep their groups running.

And, because it was full of Zoid pilots, it was the part of the building Ron hated the most. However, he had a job to do here. It was one that he could have just as easily done without ever coming here; however, matters meant that he wanted to attend to it in person, no matter how distasteful the idea may seem.

Swallowing his pride, he stepped into one of the Simulator rooms where a team was waiting, reviewing footage of one of their virtual battles. "Excuse me." He began as he stepped into the room. "The Cave Dwellers team, correct?"

A tall, blonde-haired and blue eyed woman who looked like she'd just stepped out of a fashion shoot nodded as she stood and approached him. "Yes, we are."

"Ah. Good too meet you." He replied. "Ron McGonnagle, ZBC-"

"Alya Ellen-Sue." She replied, cutting him off. "Team leader. Pleased to meet you." She indicated around the room. "These are the members of my team; Ranc Jackson, Jon Lars Wang and Bart DeBeers."

"Uh, thank you." Ron spluttered out. "I've come by to give you the details of your next battle and-"

"Oh! Thank you very much!" Alya again cut him off, pretty much squealing with delight. "That's very nice of you, Mr McGonnagle. Usually we just get an e-mail from your people, but it's very polite for you to come around in person and deliver it to us just because we're here today."

"Don't see why he couldn't have e-mailed it to us anyway." A large, beared and slightly intimidating looking man muttered from one of the seats. He hadn't even bothered to get up, much less look away from the monitor.

"Oh Bart." Alya replied, sounding more like a lecturing mother then a team leader. "It's very nice of Mr McGonnagle to come by himself. It's not often that you get that sort of personal service out of a ZBC official. I, for one, think that we should make him feel welcome amongst us, even if he is only here for a short visit."

_Is she in love with the sound of her own voice? _Ron wondered for a moment before continuing. "It's nit just that you were here, actually." He began as he produced a Data disk. "I thought it fair to discuss with you some of the, uh, ramifications of this battle."

"What's that?" Another member of the team began as he stood. Tall, dark skinned and heavily muscled, he had a shaved head and goatee beared. Combined with his sleeveless shirt, the point was definitely to make him look as intimidating as possible. Ron would have agreed that it worked. "What's he talkin' about, Alya?"

"I'm not sure, Ranc." Alya replied, a little absently. "It sounds like there's something special about this battle, something that would make it different from a standard preliminary round battle. I have to wonder what it would be, given that it's too early in the season to be doing anything really interesting."

_It's like she thinks out loud, _Ron thought. "I assure you that there's nothing any different about this battle then from any other battle you may be in this round." He offered. "It's just that, well, you've drawn an interesting opponent team this round."

"Interesting?" Ranc asked. "How so? You better not be messing us around here."

"I assure you that I am not." He spat out, not only to reassure his accuser but also to head off any verbal assault from Alya. "Your team, one of the more... established ones in the competition has drawn the Broken Chairs for this round of battle." Which was a polite way of covering the Cave Dwellers' reputation; they had been a perpetual bottom-half team for several years, ands had even managed to loose to the Black Hands during last year's competition. "As you're well aware, the Chairs finished in the quarter finals of last year's competition, and are one of the top picks for this year."

"I know them." A blond man lounging on a couch spoke up. Tall and fit, he was tanned and, for some reason, wearing his shirt unbuttoned to show off his toned body. He could only assume this was John Lars Wang, the last member of the team and, if some of the information on his file was to be believed, a former Porn star. "They're good."

_And you have a talent for the obvious, _he mentally added. "As preparation for the battle, I've compiled a dossier of all you'd need to know about the team. I've also got simulator profiles for them as an opponent group if you wanted to test yourselves against them. It's all on the data disk."

"Well that's very nice of you, Mr McGonnagle." Alya spoke up. "I mean, its going to be a really big help in this forthcoming battle, because I know It's going to be a challenge to face of with such a high-ranking team. But I'm sure that we'll be able to manage it, both with our skills and with the information here."

"We don't need this." Ranc interjected. "You saying that we can't handle them on our own?"

"Not at all, sir." Ron raised his hands defensively. "All I am saying is that I'm sure that the information contained here would be useful to the team. Think of it as me doing all the research on them that you would have done anyway, and thus saving you the bother."

"Relax, Ranc." Jon added. "And appreciate this wonderful gift that we have been given."

"You're just happy that it means that you're not doing any work." Ranc cut him off. "As usual."

"Well what can I say?" He replied as he stood. "It means that I've got more time for what's important." He draped his arms over Alya's shoulders, kissing her on the cheek.

_I'm going to be sick. _Ron mentally added. "Very well then. I'll leave you to it." _And get out of here before you two begin making out right here. _"Good luck."

Without giving them a chance to reply, he turned around and stalked out of the room, heading back to the lifts. As much as he disliked the team he'd met, he couldn't argue with the idea behind it. Allowing another team to get a win over the Chairs would make him feel a lot better, regardless of who it was. Anything that set back the one team that had given him so much grief...

Even if the woman on the phone hadn't politely suggested that he do it, he would have done it anyway.

oOoOo

The Energy Liger wheeled around, skidding as it made a tun that belied its speed and bulk. Snarling loudly, the Zoid ran forwards, charging at its last remaining foe. In the face of this attack, the Brachiozilla pilot seemed to be unsure of what to do. His Zoid stopped its run, and now seemed to be desperately looking around for an escape.

They didn't get the chance. The Energy Liger's cannons spat fire, the shots slamming into the Brachiozilla's chest, shredding through its armour and structure. Something inside cocked off, fire and smoke erupting from a rent in the machines formerly pristine armour. Letting out a loud roar that trailed off into a weak gurgle, the Brachiozilla keeled over backwards under the assault, crashing to the ground. A moment later, the Energy Liver leaped over it, coming to a halt behind it.

"The battle is over!" A monitor drone announced as it passed over the downed Zoid. "The winner is the Red Shadows team!"

"And another spectacular victory for the Red Shadows team." Henry called out from the announce booth. "Or, should I say, the single Red Shadow who's shown so far."

"Well, with Jill Constantine behind the wheel, its' not like they need a team." Jim Beef offered. "An excellent pilot, a good tactician and a very powerful Zoid makes for a rather unbeatable package."

"And that's something that the Overlords have just found out the hard way."

Rose shook her head as she watched the screen. "That thing scares me." She commented. "Really."

"Scares you?" Neil asked. "Rose, your Zero has a chance to run away from it. Conversely, my Gunsniper probably looks like a tasty kitty treat from its point of view."

"Okay everyone." Stephen interjected. "Let's stop watching other teams and focus more on our own, okay? We've got a battle to get to." As he finished, he began clambering up the entry ladder to the Iron Kong's cockpit.

"Ah come on." Neil quipped as he walked over to his Gunsniper. "Let us quake in fear just a little longer, okay? I want to know exactly what my doom will look like."

"Well y'all could do that with a reference guide or the like." Tasch added as she strapped herself into the Redler's cockpit. "I mean, there's lotsa places where y'all could get pics and info on an Energy Liger from."

Neil smiled as he clambered into the Gunsniper. "Again, Tasch, you say the most sensible thing while at the same time completely changing the subject. I wasn't referring to the Zoid as such however."

"Well in that case y'all should talk to Rose." Tasch continued as the Reder bought its cockpit up. "I mean, Jill's her sister an' all that, so she's gonna know her better then the rest of us."

"That doesn't help either, Tasch." Rose commented. "I don't talk to Jill that often and I see her even less. And yes, there's reasons for that."

"Okay, kiddies." Stephen interjected. "Let's focus here. We have a battle to win, remember?" The Iron Kong's canopy shut and sealed itself, the sensor on its head lighting up as it self-tested.

A few minutes later, the four Zoids emerged from the arena doors, striding out into the open space that was their familiar battleground. No sooner had they arrived then the doors at the far end of the arena opened, allowing the opponent team to enter. On first examination, they seemed to be just as mis-matched as the Chairs were.

The centre of the team was a massive dull green Gordos, looming over the other member Zoids of the team. To one side was a bulky Bearfighter, while to the other was a sleek, deadly-looking Houndsoldier. Backing the Bearfighter up was a compact Gorillatron, resembling nothing so much as a miniature version of Stephen's Zoid.

"What is it with us and Dog Zoids?" Neil casually asked. "We fight a team of them last week, then one this week... and that Koenig Wolf that spent so much of last season chewing us up... and that NUBG guy with the Fox..."

The arrival of the ZBC monitor drone managed to quieten him down for a moment. "The Broken Chairs versus the Cave Dwellers." The electronic voice announced. "Both teams confirmed. Arena confirmed. Contestants ready… fight!"

The chairs leapt into action, splitting up as they took off form their start position. Tasch's Redler leaped into the air, taking flight immediately. Behind it and to either side, the Liger Zero and Gunsniper both broke into high-speed runs, heading off downfield towards the enemy team. Stephen's Iron Kong was last to react, writing a moment before taking off in a knuckling run. The enemy team didn't react quite the same. While the Bearfighter and Houndsoldier both leaped into action, the Gorillatron chose to stand its ground with the Gordos.

Seeing a chance, Stephen opened the engagement with the Kong's twin tactical ballistic missiles. The two massive weapons launched form its back in clouds of flame and smoke that momentarily obscured the Iron Kong from sight. Soaring into the air, they arced up and over the battlefield, heading towards the Gordos. If things went well, he figured, he could knock their hardest hitter out of the battle in a single blow. The Gordos was far too large and clumsy to get out of the way, leaving it vulnerable to such a strike.

Instead the Gorillatron reacted, hunkering down before unleashing one of its shoulder missile batteries. A volley of five guided missiles shot into the air, speeding towards the larger Tactical Missiles as they descended. Lacking the agility (and programming) to evade, the Kong's weapons were easy prey; detonating in mid-air in a spectacular, yet harmless fireball.

"Missiles are intercepted." Stephen called out. "I'll try to take the Gordos out; you guys keep the rest of the team busy." He dropped his sights onto the enemy Zoid, but before he could fire the Gordos' twin Railguns opened up, Hammering the controls, Stephen fired the Kong's boosters, leaping out of the way of the shot before he could reply. The twin slugs shot past his machine, slamming into the back wall of the arena.

A moment later, the Gorillatron's other shoulder lit up, sending another volley of missiles skywards. This time, however, they were chasing after a specific target - Tasch's black Redler. "Tasch, Incoming!" He called out as he watched them rise.

"I see' em." She called back. "Ya gonna have ta wait on a minute while I try an' shake 'em."

"Gotcha." He nodded. _They've neutralised our long-range strikes and our air cover. Very well planned. Let's see what else they have. _"Neil, try to take out that Gorillatron!" he yelled. "I'll see what I can do form back here."

The Kong's Hyperbeam Launcher fired, a searing beam of blue and white energy streaking towards the enemy Zoid. At the same time, the Gordos replied with its twin Railcannons, not even attempting to evade the shot. As the Hyperbeam cannon tore armour form the Gordos' thick flanks and furrowed into its structure, the Kong was struck twice in the chest, the force of the blows enough to rock the heavy Zoid.

_And it looks like they're not messing around._

oOoOo

Neil's Gunsniper sprinted downfield, doing its best to keep out of the firing arc of the Gordos' main guns. He knew the enemy Zoid was rather slow and clumsy, and that its main cannons only faced directly forwards. This was a good thing, as he also knew that a single volley from either of them would probably be enough to put his Gunsniper out of action.

Spinning around, he sighted the Gorillatron that had been giving them so much trouble, hiding in the shadow of the larger Zoid. The two racks of missiles that crowned its shoulders were mostly depleted, but there was still a few left, meaning that it was still a threat. _Hopefully he'll be ignoring me like everyone else does, _he thought. _Well, it's nice to think. _He twisted his Zoid around, the Gunsniper hissing as he opened fire with one of its wrist-mounted beam gattling cannons. _Hopefully I can get his attention and give Tasch a chance._

The shots peppered the Gorillatron's barrel-like chest, but didn't seem to have any obvious effect on the armour. Instead, a large orb imbedded within the chest began to glow with red energy, increasing with intensity as several more rounds splashed over it. Fort its part, the Gorillatron didn't do much to hide itself, instead maintaining its place in the Gordos' protective shadow.

"Hey guys!" he called out. "My guns don't seem to be doing much. Don't Gorilltrons have some sort of shielding or something."

"They got an energy absorption core." Tasch grunted back over the communicator, the sound of her Zoid's engines filling the background with noise. "It absorbs energy then can be used to transfer it to a- grrr - to an Energy Liger when they're fused. That boosts the power of the Liger's Energy Charger."

"Pleasant thought..." He replied. "You okay up there?"

"Got missiles. Workin' on 'em." She replied back.

"Neil, try to get it with your rockets." Stephen cut in. "Don't try to go to melee with it; those Knuckles would mess you up."

"Gotcha." He replied.

As he turned to face the Gorillatron, his sensors beeped to warn him of a new contact. Almost immediately, a volley of fire streaked past the Gunsniper before a few shots scored armour off the flank. Spinning his Zoid around, he could see the new threat; a Bearfighter that was barrelling towards him, roaring loudly as it charged. Not wasting any time, Neil fired his Zoids boosters, the Gunsniper trying to get out of the enemy machine's line of fire.

To his annoyance, the Bearfighter's pilot seemed to be ready for him. The enemy pilot bought his machine around, bearing down on Neil's smaller Zoid with an alarming speed. While a lot larger and bulkier, the Zoid seemed to be just as fast as his machine was. "Okay, okay, I get the impression. I'm gonna have to go through you, right?"

The Gunsiper twisted around, Neil spraying fire from the wrist Vulcans at the enemy machine. The rounds slammed into its shoulders, marring the armour but not seeming to do any severe damage. In return, the Bearfighter's pilot opened up with the back-mounted cannons, spraying fire back at him. A few shots struck the Gunsniper's flank, throwing Neil around and chewing into its thin armour.

With Neil off-balance, the Bearfighter pilot saw their chance. The machine charged forwards, bearing down on the smaller Gunsniper. Again bellowing, it reared up onto its hind legs, exposing its very large and very sharp claws, as well as a six-barrelled cannon on its chest. The weapon opened up, shots slamming into the Gunsniper and the area around it. Neil was again sent reeling, the Zoid staggering back as red lights came on across his control board.

Taking advantage of the situation, the Bearfighter swooped down with one of its claws in a broad arc. Neil recovered at the last moment, the Gunsniper ducking just under the attack beofre the Bearfighter could strike. "Okay, no decapitations!" He called out as he fired the booster, his Zoid leaping past the heavier machine. As it leaped past, the Gunsniper lashed out with one of its claws, carving into the Bearfighter's side.

"Now if only that slows him down a bit." Neil commented. "Where's that Gorilla got to?" He glanced at the scope, noting the relative positions of the two teams. The Gordos loomed up large in his scope, the Gorillatron just by it. "Okay, time to-"

He was cut off by another volley of fire, several shots slamming into the Gunsniper;'s back, sending it stumbling again. "Oh, sod off and die, you lousy old pervert!" He yelled as the Gunsniper wheeled around, turning to face the Bearfighter that was again running after it. _I can't keep running form this guy; he's too fast and too persistent._

He opened up with the wrist and chest guns, managing to actually do some damage to the Bearfighter as shots tore into the forelegs and shoulders. With an angry roar, the Zoid weathered the attack and reared up, again opening up with the chest cannons. This time its fire was more accurate; shots tore into the Gunsniper, slamming into its chest and shoulders. With a loud screech of twisting metal, the right arm was sheered off while the right hip skewed awkwardly. The Gunsiper staggered, then stumbled down to one knee.

"Tool!" He called out. "Ah, damn it..." Seeing its opponent weakened, the Bearfighter advanced, claws again rearing back for the kill. Glancing around, Neil could see that he was low on options; he couldn't run and it was unlikely that his remaining vulcan and chest gun could take the Bearfighter out fast enough. The enemy Zoid loomed over him, poised for attack.

"Ah stuff it. I was saving these for the monkey." He muttered as he squeezed the trigger. Both rocket launchers sprang open, belching forth their loads into the Bearfighter's chest at near point-blank range. The warheads detonated in a spectacular bloom of fire and debris, the force of the explosions puncturing the armour and tearing into the systems inside. Its angry roar turned into a cry of shock as the Zoid stumbled back, then collapsed on its back.

"Woo." Neil began. "Too close." He checked over his systems, noting the damage the Gunsniper had sustained. "Course, now I'm equally screwed."

Rose had evaluated the situation as it stood. From what she could tell, the Gorillatron was keeping Tasch busy and, as such, stopping one of their greatest assets from entering play. Neil's attempt to get to it wasn't working, the Bearfighter managing to provide an effective obstacle for the moment. And with Stephen tied up with the Gordos, that meant matters fell to her to deal with the enemy Zoid.

Her Zero charged downfield, heading towards the Gordos. However, she wasn't interested in the larger Zoid, at least not for the moment. Making sure to keep out of the line of fire of its larger guns, she charged down on its flank. All she had to do was get around it, and she'd have the Gorillatron dead to rights.

Easy.

Unfortunately, the Cave Dwellers had other plans. A single Zoid dashed across the field, heading towards her Zoid. From what she could see, the machine was moving a faster then her own Zero, something that caught her off-guard. Even in its basic configuration, the Liger Zero was one of the fastest-moving Zoids on land. Glancing over the displays, she could see that it was the enemy Hounsoldier, a compact machine not too much bigger then a Command Wolf.

The enemy Zoid's chest erupted with fire as it bounded forwards, shots streaking out form the cannon. Several slammed into the Zero's flank, blasting into its armour and throwing the Zoid around, while others tore into the arena's floor. _Damn it, _she thought to herself. _Can't ignore him now._

Twisting the controls, the Zero skipped and danced out of the line of fire, using its agility to weave between the shots. Firing the boosters, Rose sped up, bringing her Zoid around past the enemy machine. _You're faster, but I'm more agile, _she thought to herself. _Gotcha now. _The Zero wheeled around, charging at the enemy Zoid's flank.

The Houndsoldier continued to turn, but it was clear that Rose was pulling well inside it. Instead, the enemy pilot traversed the main gun, the twin-barrelled weapon opening up with a volley of heavy shots at her Zoid. Rounds burst off the Zero's chest and shoulders, slamming into the machine and sending it reeling.

Seeing a chance, the Houldsoldier pilot managed to bring their Zoid around, then bote down on her in a fast charge. As it ran, a pair of lances mooted on its shoulders swung forwards and locked into place, pointing straight ahead. It left no illusions as to the pilot's plan; run down the liger and skewer it on the two, wickedly sharp weapons.

Rose recovered, quickly analysing the situation. The Liger leaped up, bounding out of the path of the Houndsoldier's charge. This time, the enemy pilot seemed not to be completely prepared, the enemy Zoid shooting through the space Rose had been before reacting. Again the rear-mounted cannon swung aorund, opening fire on the Liger as it ran. The shots went wide, scoring the arena floor but going well clear of their mark.

The liger skidded on the concrete, then charged forwards, Rose opening up with the Impact cannon on the Houndsoldier as the smaller Zoid tried to turn. Several shots slammed into its flank, shredding armour over its shoulders but not doing enough damage to cripple the machine. Instead, the Houndsoldier came around, again bearing down on Rose's Zoid. The chest cannon opened fire again, sending several rounds towards her machine.

"Not this time." She muttered as she pulled the Liger through a tight corner, the shots narrowly missing her Zoid as it came around. Dropping her sights onto the Houndsoldier, she opened fire with the impact cannon again. The rounds burst over its side, capitalising on the damage she had done before, ripping off more armour. Another few rounds narrowly missed the Zoid as the enemy pilot fired their own booster, trying desperately to break away from her Liger.

"Gotcha, sucker." She grinned as she pulled around, giving chase to the enemy machine. While it was faster then her Zero, her Zoid accelerated better, allowing her to close the gap between the two of them. A few shots form the impact cannon slammed into the Houndsoldier's back, causing it to slip and stumble, giving her a chance to close the distance. At this range, she figured, she couldn't miss the enemy machine.

"All right... let's finish this." The Zero roared as it charged in, a brilliant golden glow building up around its claws. She could be onto the Houndsolider and bring it down before they could recover, and that would then leave her with a clear path to the Gordos and Gorillatron. "Too eas- whoah!"

The rear of the Houndsolder erupted into a cloud of flames and smoke as a half-dozen missiles sprang form behind it's shoulders. Quickly deploying the stabilisers, Rose twisted the boosters, bringing the Zero around in the tightest turn she could possibly perform. Stomping on the pedals, she opened the boosters to full, trying to get as far from the enemy weapons as possible -

- and then seeing the missiles fly straight past her Zoid, instead climbing into the sky. Looking up, she could see that they were headed straight up to Tasch's Redler.

Putting aside her anger at being faked out, she instead yelled into the communicator as she tried to bring the Zero around to catch the fleeing Houndsoldier. "Tasch! You've got another flight incoming!"

oOoOo

"Gotcha, thanks!" Tasch called back. Glancing over the display, she could see what Rose had meant. A half-dozen missiles were rising towards her Redler, closing in at speed.

She'd had to admit, the enemy team's tactics had been good. After shooting down the missiles from Stephen's Kong, the Gorillatron had been perfectly content to stand its ground. Instead, the small Zoid had been volleying missiles at her Redler, keeping up a steady stream of fire rather then trying to go for the quick kill.

The logic was simple; this way, the enemy team could effectively eliminate her from the battle. They kept her too busy trying to dodge their fire to be able to actually do anything to support the rest of the Chairs. While the odds of a single missile bringing her down were relatively small, it was a risk that she wasn't willing to take. The only problem was that every time she shook one weapon, another came after it.

And now she had six at once, not an easy situation at the best of times.

"Okay, Tasch. Keep it together. You can do this." As the missiles climbed towards her, she quickly pushed forwards on the stick while twisting the footpedals. The Redler suddenly dived, the boosters twisting to speed its decent. The missiles, instead, climbed past her Zoid at speed, seemingly shaken.

Then, as one, they rolled around and dived at her, still closing the distance.

"Dangit." She muttered as she pulled into a tight turn, again twisting the boosters to bring the Redler around. She'd used this move plenty of times before, managing to throw off warheads that were seeking after her. Letting out a soft grunt as the G-forces pressed her into the seat, she checked the display for the missile's progress. 

The scattered, feathering out as they tried to follow the Redler's impossibly tight turn. Then, as one, they regrouped, clumping up and continuing to chase after her Zoid. Tasch's hard turn had bought her a few seconds, nothing more.

"Think, Tasch." She told herself as she pulled around another turn. "Those missiles are from the Houndsolider. It was built to fight in the Devil's Maze against Zeekdobers. So its weapons are gonna pull tight and be good against a low radar signature and lotsa clutter." She shook her head. "So they ain't gonna be easy to shake, unless..."

An idea formed in her head, one that most other pilots would dismiss as crazy. Of course, the thought never occurred to her.

She pushed the throttle open, twisting the rudder pedals and forcing the Redler into a steep dive, straight at the Gorillatron. Getting it loosely in her sights, she opened up with the twin pulse cannons, streaming fire at the general vicinity of the Zoid. Few of the shots connected, but they were enough to keep it pinned in place. It also caught the Gordos' attention, the large Zoid opening up with the dual AA cannons on the base of its tail.

"Jus' perfect." She nodded to herself as a couple of rounds skimmed off the Redler's side. Ingoing them for the moment, she remained focused on the Gorillatron. Again, the smaller Zoid's shoulders were wreathed in flames as it launched the last of its missiles straight up at her.

"Now!" She slammed the foot pedals, pulling up and away as fast as the Zoid could go. The missiles on her tail streaked through the space she had occupied as they tried to register the change and respond. Instead, however, they flew straight into the path of the weapons launched by the Gorillatron. Both flights detonated, erupting in a brilliant fireball that shook the Redler, but left it relatively unscathed.

The Redler looped up and over, coming around before diving at the Houndsoldier. Before the enemy Zoid could open fire with its remaining missiles, Tasch opened up with the twin cannons mounted on the wings. Shots peppered the Houldsoldier's head and shoulders, shredding the armour and staggering the enemy machine. As the machine tried to recover, Tasch swooped down, the Redler rolling over as it extended its tailblade.

The Houndsolider's pilot tried to twist out of the path of her attack, but it was too late. The Redler's blade sliced through the Zoid's shoulder, cleaving through the damaged armour and then severing the Zoid's foreleg. As the Redler pulled up and away, the Houndsoldier collapsed, crashing to the ground flat on its face.

"Okies, the Houndsoldier's down." She finished over the communicator. "And the Gorillatron's open."

oOoOo

"Roger that." Stephen called back. "I'll take him. Rose, you keep the Gordos busy for a moment."

"Nuh-uh." Rose protested. "I've got a clear shot at the Gorillatron. I can take him now."

"Rose!" He yelled over the communicator. "He's not as open as he looks. There's still-"

"He's out of missiles, and my Zoid can walk all over his." She finished. "Don't sweat it." She opened up the throttle, the Liger bounding past the disabled Houndsoldier and heading towards the remaining two enemy Zoids. The Houndsoldier made no effort to stop her, the pilot realising that they were out of action and not to push things any further.

Sprinting around the Gordos' bulky frame, she bore down on the smaller Gorillatron at speed. The Impact cannon opened up on the enemy machine, hammering into its chest and sending it reeling. While the energy core absorbed some of the shot's energy, it was still enough to effect the enemy machine. Staggering, the Gorillatron tried to regain its footing and react while the Liger bore down on it.

"I have him!" Rose called out as the Liger roared, its strike laser claws ready for the kill.

"Rose!" Stephen called back. "Break off! You're right in the line if the-"

The Liger's claws crashed down on the Gorillatron, shredding its right shoulder and cleaving into the energy orb in its chest. The red light inside the orb fizzled and died as the energy inside it discharged and dissipated, the Zoid's systems rendered inoperable by the assault. The Zero leaped past the Zoid, roaring in triumph as it landed on the other side of its downed foe.

And then being caught in the underside by the Gordos' tail spikes. The massive club whipped upwards, smashing into the liger and tearing through its systems. The Zoid was flipped over, crashing to the ground on its side while one of its stabiliser wings, along with a good portion of its flank, were ripped free.

"Dammit!" Stephen called out. "I warned her... Tasch! Try to distract him!"

"Gotcha." She replied with a nod, the Redler swooping down on the Grodos as it turned to face the wounded Liger. She opened fire on the massive machine, the beam cannons spitting rounds into the huge Zoid's flank. While they didn't appear to do too much, the shots did at least get its attention.

The ponderous Zoid stopped in the middle of its turn, then opened fire with the array of secondary wepaons on its back and side. Shots filled the air around the Redler as Tasch pulled up and away, junking to avoid the barrage coming after it. For the most part, the shots from the Gordos went wide, only a few managing to clip the machine as it escaped.

But it had the desired effect. Stephen's Iron Kong slammed its knuckles into the ground, hunching down before opening fire with the massive Hyperbeam cannon. The beam of brilliant energy slammed into the Gordos' flank, ripping into the leg structure but not dropping the machine. However, as it turned to face him, Stephen could see that he'd wounded it. The machine seemed a little unsure of itself, liming as it attempted to turn to face him.

He wasn't going to give it the chance. The Iron Kong broke into a run, keeping out of the line of fire of the Gordos' main guns while also keeping its damaged flank in sight. As he ran, Stephen opened up with the pulse cannon, the shots peppering the side of the machine, capitalising on the damage that he'd already done. The Gordos stumbled, its foreleg buckling and driving it down to one knee.

_As good a chance as any, _he thought as he fired the manoeuvre thrusters, quickly spinning the Iron Kong around. He dropped his sights onto the Gordos as the damaged machine struggled to rise, then opened fire again with the Hyperbeam cannon. The shot slammed into the Gordos' flank, blowing apart the damaged leg mechanism and tearing into the structure of its torso. With a loud bellow, the Gordos shook, then toppled over, crashing to the ground on its side.

For a moment, the battlefield was silent as a ZBC monitor drone inspected the various downed Zoids. Then, it spoke up. "The battle is over! The winner is the Broken Chairs!"

"Phew." Neil began from the cockpit of his damaged Gunsniper. "That... was a lot closer then it needed to be."

"Indeed." Stephen nodded. "I think... I think we need to talk about this. Otherwise, this season's gonna be a lot tougher then it should be."

oOoOo

Despite being the Zoid Battle capital of the world, and the wealth that came with it, there were still poorer sections of the city. Found on the outer fringes of the city, while small they still were impossible to ignore. These places were the refuge of the poor, the desperate and more then a few fugitives.

Jean Templar was one of the latter. A year ago, he had been one of the NUBG's best pilots. The leader of one of their top teams, he had wealth and power, and lived for the promise of more. He had a reputation for his savage nature in battle, which only seemed to make him more popular amongst the NUBG's fans. It helped disguise a keen tactical mind that was the true source of his success; he usually out-thought his opponents, which then allowed him the liberty of finishing them off in a showy and crowd-pleasing manner.

And then everything had fallen apart. His team had been sent to 'deal with' a problem. It seemed simple enough; they would isolate a particular ZBC team and then challenge them to an illegal battle -a battle his team would easily win. Except they hadn't won. In fact, it had been a crushing defeat, with three of the Zoids on his team disabled against none of the opponents. Jean had only survived because his crippled Lord Gale had fled the battlefield after being savaged by the enemy Redler.

Not that it had done him any good. A few hours later, his Zoid was intercepted and taken out by another machine, an Energy Liger. The Zoid had shot him out of the sky and then proceeded to rip his Lord Gale apart. They'd done more then just disable it, however. They'd gone to great lengths to ensure that his Zoid was utterly, destroyed, reduced to beyond the point where it was even any good for salvage.

And yet he'd managed to escape unharmed.

He'd fled into the underbelly of the city, not wanting to go back to the NUBG after his defeat, and believing that the PKB would be after him. Abandoning most of the accoutrements of his old life, he'd instead blended into the failures and rejects that inhabited this part of town. Working a menial job for a small amount of cash-in-hand income gave him enough to live off, but was anything but luxurious.

The only upside to this situation was that he'd been overlooked when the NUBG appeared to fall apart. He'd seen it all happen; the PKB attacked the NUBG arenas, capturing the majority of their pilots and personnel. In many ways, his early defeat had turned out to be a blessing in disguise. By fleeing from the NUBG, he'd been away from it when it had folded, and thus evaded capture. Of course, he was still stuck in the city, not willing to risk travelling for fear he may be found.

He trudged back into the apartment building that was his home; a decrepit structure that he was sure was in violation of numerous building safety regulations. His tiny, two-room apartment was in one of the upper floors; this only made it more annoying to get to as he had to slog his way up several flights of stairs to get there. However, it was his sanctuary, the one place that nobody could find him or nobody could get to him. He was safe, just another anonymous reject.

So it was a shock to him when he opened the door to find someone already in there. A tall, blonde woman, dressed in an anonymous black suit and wearing dark glasses was present, standing in the middle of the room as if she had always been there. "Who-" He began as he sized her up, trying to figure why she was here and how much of a threat she represented. Certainly she didn't look to strong physically, but he knew not to underestimate her because of that.

"It's been a long time, Jean Templar." She replied, a confident tone in her voice. "I can understand why you don't recognise me."

He peered at her. "Rachel Golden?" He began.

A small smile indicated that he had guessed correctly. "I hadn't expected to find you here." She began. "One of the NUBG's best and brightest reduced to this? It's hardly what I expected from you."

Something seemed odd to Jean about all this. Rachel had been the assistant to the NUBG's manager, but had never been more then a number-cruncher and go-between. Certainly if the NUBG had been dismantled, then she should have nothing left, much like he did. However, it was clear that the situation was anything but. She was speaking with a tone of confidence and superiority that seemed to belie the meek and relatively quiet woman he remembered. "Circumstances have been against me." He stated, regaining his composure.

"They were against us all, Jean." She continued.

"What do you want?" He demanded, trying to take control of the situation.

"You, actually." She stated. "As I said, you were one of the NUBG's best. Not only as a pilot, but as a leader and a planner. And you had a ruthless streak that had done you well. These are all traits that I could use."

He furrowed his brows. "And what do I get out of this?"

She laughed, quietly. "Isn't escaping form this hellhole enough for you?" She waved around the room, then reached into a pocket. "You would get your old role back as a team leader, ranking pilot and enforcer. Additionally, you would be well paid, better then you ever were with NUBG. And there is one other incentive I could offer you."

"What is it?" He asked, attempting to disguise his eagerness. Despite his concerns about Rachel's reappearance and her demeanour, he couldn't help but find her offer enticing. It was all that he had missed from his old life, all that he wanted back.

She pulled out a small palmtop computer from her picket, holding it out in her palm. Pressing a button on one side, a three-dimensional projection emerged from the screen. It displayed a Zoid, bipedal winged machine with a sinister, almost dark demeanour that belied its bright colours. He recognised it instantly as being a Lord Gale, the Zoid that he had previously piloted.

"A new Zoid." She stated. "And pets to go with it. They will be your minions, Jean, your weapons."

He knew instantly what she meant. The Lord Gale had the ability to control unmanned Chimera Blox, turning the normally feral creatures into precisely-directed implements of destruction and terror. "I see." He finished. "In that case, I agree to your terms."

Rachel smiled confidently as she closed the display. "I thought you would."

oOoOo

**Author's notes:**

Thanks to Rantinan and Steve for providing the inspiration for the Cave Dwellers team. Thanks also to Rayzeel and Kole who inspired Tasch and Nadia's online personas.


End file.
